


Evil Tails - A fox-brained series

by DoomFox



Category: Sonic Boom (Cartoon), Sonic the Hedgehog (Video Games), Sonic the Hedgehog - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Robotnik plan goes wrong, Species Swap
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:01:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 117,455
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DoomFox/pseuds/DoomFox
Summary: Doctor Eggman, in a daring genius scheme to spy on his nemesis Sonic T. Hedgehog, transfers his conscious mind into a clone of a particular yellow fox...Things don't quite go to plan.
Comments: 126
Kudos: 133





	1. The Imposter

In the deep recesses of the great Doctor Robotnik's lair, two mechanisms - one boxy and yellow, the other silver-red and spherical, nervously played with their hands and observed their master through worried optics as he busied plugging himself into the fruits of his latest ill conceived scheme.

"Um... Sir?" The red machine - Orbot - raised an index finger as his optics flickered with concern, "I believe this... _interesting_ strategy may be a little... unwise..."

"Yeah!" Piped up Cubot, his less-intellectually gifted companion, "it might also be a really bad idea!"

"Quiet, you fools!" snapped the doctor, his extravagantly maintained moustache twitching as he inserted cables into an implanted interface drilled into the back of his skull, "when I thought to indulge you two in my most _genius_ scheme to date, I expected little in the way of criticism!" The improbably shaped human frowned. "Who's the genius here, huh? Please, enlighten me as to what in the world makes you believe this could possibly go wrong?!"

Orbot rubbed the back of his 'head'. "I have concerns about the... tethering system you have employed... "

"Concerns?!" snorted the doctor, "the system is absolutely necessary should I need to remotely transfer my intelligence back into my own - handsome, strapping - body! "

"And have you considered what might happen..." continued the lackey, "if your... _handsome and strapping..._ form itself were to be..." Orbot considered his words carefully, "um... _indisposed?_ "

The doctor scowled. "We are deep in the most secluded and defended section of my entire lair..." The human growled at his subordinates, "I do not intend to spend extended periods of time in the drone. Such a concern is barely worth noting!" He glared at the two robots threateningly. "besides, were such an eventuality to happen... you two would be scrap metal before you could say "scrap metal'! Do I make myself clear?"

The two robots nodded timidly.

"Good!" The doctor leaned back in his control chair and hovered his fingers over the transference unit's control panel. "See you on the other side, boys!"

The robots watched in trepidation as their master's fingers danced over the controls, tapping in the activation codes... And the machine began to hum with power.

Their optics switched focus as, from the doctor's chair, connected by system of cables and pipes, blue electricity began to pulse harshly, crackling through clear tubes into another form, limp and mindless at this moment, resting in another chair...

with a final spark of electricity, the doctor's portly form went slack, and the machine powered down.

All was silent as the two robots cautiously approached the much shorter figure in the connected chair, waiting for signs of life.

The mouth twitched. Fingers curled slightly. and blue eyes creaked open and focused, swivelling and blinking as they considered their new perspective.

"Uh....boss?" enquired Cubot, levitating forward slightly, " are you in there?'

The eyes focused dumbly on the yellow bot, before intelligence returned and a familiar maniacal grin split the face.

"It worked!" a new voice squeaked in triumph as the eyes passed over the limp form of their previous vessel, "I told you fools it would work!!!"

Yellow feet smacked onto the cold lab floor as 'the doctor' shuffled himself from the chair... and promptly face-planted into the tiles as the yet-unused and unfamiliar legs gave in and the former human squeaked in pain.

"Don't just stand there you imbeciles, help me up!!! "

Orbot palmed his face as the pair of mechanoids moved to help their now smaller, fluffier master back to his feet.

"This... can only end well..." The effeminate bot sighed .

"I'll get the popcorn!" Added his counterpart.

"SILENCE!!!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Miles Prower sighed as he prowled his cell, searching for an escape. He was such an idiot! Captured by Eggman while out flying... just wait until Sonic and the gang came for him...

"You're not getting away with this, Egg-for-brains!" The fox called to the bare walls, "Just you wait until my friends find me!"

"Oh, don't worry about that, _Miles...._ " Tails jumped as the prison door hissed open, a horribly familiar voice replied, and a short silhouette stood framed in the light...

The fox screwed his eyes as the short figure padded forward... then bulged out on stalks as he registered red sneakers, yellow fur, blue eyes... And Robotnik's maniacal grin plastered over _his_ face.

"You gotta be kidding me."

His doppelganger grinned evilly, before spreading his arms in presentation. 

"So what do you think, _Miles?!_ " the other fox snickered, as Orbot and Cubot floated beside him, " is this clone accurate enough? Am I missing any... minor details?"

Tails cocked his head, fascinated at the mirror image of himself that sneered as it prowled before his cell.

"What... did you _do?_ "

The doctor grinned, flashing sharp canines. "Complete! Consciousness! Transference!" He chuckled, smacking a gloved fist into the other palm with each word as he paced. He stopped and wore a thoughtful expression, curiously playing with the tip of a fluffy tail. "Well, almost complete... my mind is still tethered to my original form in the event anything should happen to this... drone..."

The fox-ified doctor turned again, thwapping Orbot and Cubot in the face with his twin tails each time he paced. The two robots shared exasperated glances with each slap.

"I don't know what you're planning _Robotnik_ ," Tails growled gripping his cell bars , "But it. Won't. Work. My friends will never believe you're me!"

The other fox gave him a sly grin, and blue eyes twinkled with malice.

"I wouldn't be so sure, my... little friend!" The doctor giggled, the sound uncomfortably childish coming from Tails' mouth, "After years of dealing with you and the rest of those infernal vermin..." The doctor's temperament suddenly changed as he hopped back, shot a big thumbs up, and winked.

"I think I totally got this, dude! "

A pitch perfect copy of Tails' own chipper tone. From the wide-eyed plucky face of Sonic's best friend.

Crap.

"I always knew those acting lessons I took in night school would come in handy..." The doctor mused, thoughtfully stroking the raggedy ends of his - _Tails'_ \- white muzzle. Then the malicious smile returned and again Robotnik sneered from behind the mask.

"Who would ever expect..." The mad doctor leered, "That Sonic the Hedgehog's end would be at the hands of his... " he giggled again, like a rotten child, and wore a mockingly cutesy voice. _"His little buddy Tails?!"_

Miles glared through the bars. "You won't get away with this, _Eggman..._ "

"You're absolutely correct, Miles!" The other fox chuckled , " _You're_ going to get away with it for me!"

Tails watched helplessly as his double turned, slapping his hapless subjects with his new appendages once again. 

"Anyway... as much as it amuses me, I can't stand around and..." an evil look shot back over an orange shoulder , "Have you _talk to yourself_ all day! I have things to do, places to be... blue hedgehogs to exact vengeance on... I'm going to be a _very_ busy little fox!' Robotnik waved and wiggled his fingers mockingly. "Ta-ta, Tails! Make yourself at home, _little dude!_ I know I plan on doing so..."

With that, the tyrannical pint-sized scientist left the prison with a cackle, accompanied by his robot lackeys, the door sliding shut behind him.

Tails' arms slumped beside him and he contemplated the situation he now found himself in... and the damage Eggman could cause disguised as him.

Then he slid to the floor, back to the wall, and wondered how he was going to escape.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Okay, I'm coming.... I'm coming!"

Amy Rose grumbled as she unlocked the front door, frustration building at the ceaseless knocking. She opened the door and jerked back as a swift blue wind streaked past her, becoming a worried blue hedgehog pacing her living room floor.

"Sorry to bother you Ames, but Tails is missing!" The hedgehog groaned, offering nervous gestured with his hands. "I mean, it's not like him to just vanish like that, right? He's not answering his communicator, and I've searched everywhere! I'm scared half to death! Have you seen him?! "

Amy folded her arms and cocked her head, wearing a tired expression. "How long has he been gone?"

"Like one whole hour! No wait... _two_ whole hours!!"

Amy sighed at the fretting hedgehog. "You don't think he could have just.... gone for a walk?" The pink hedgehog replied, setting herself down on her couch and pouring a mug of tea, "Like, y'know... people do all the time?"

Sonic shook his head rapidly. "Walk? Tails doesn't _walk_ , Ames! He'll take a quick flight in a morning but that kid'll be in his workshop until the cowbots come home any other time!"

"Well maybe he turned over a new leaf? Decided he'd like to appreciate nature a little more? "

Sonic, often overprotective of his honorary brother, simply folded his arms and chewed his lip. 

"Sorry, I just... can't help but feel like something's wrong... "

Amy opened her mouth to reply, to reassure Sonic he was just overreacting... When another voice answered for her.

"Hey, what's that about there being something wrong?" 

The two hedgehogs ears perked and they turned to find a large muscular echidna helping himself through the door.

Knuckles looked questioningly between the pair, dreadlock-spines swinging across his beefy shoulders. 

"Its an emergency, knux!" Sonic blurted before Amy could reply. "Tails is missing!"

The echidna recoiled, horrified. "Tails is _missing?!_ What's he missing? Who's he missing? A hole in his life he can never fill? The parents he never knew? Peanut butter for his sandwiches? Poor kid... "

Sonic pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, Knux..." The hedgehog groaned , "I mean he's absent. Not present. _Gone._ "

Knuckles set a hand on his hip and frowned, jabbing a thick finger toward his friend. "Now Sonic, that's no way to talk about family... whatever problems he might be having, however _gone_ you think he might be, we have to be there to help him through it, understand?"

Sonic made to slap his forehead, but jerked in surprise with the rest of the gang as a brown head poked up from behind Amy's couch.

"Tails is missing?!" Sticks, the feral badger, appearing like a comical puppet, screeched in shock. "I knew it! I knew aliens from the government were taking people!! Good thing I prepared for this day!!!"

Amy laid her face in both hands, too tired to cope with her friends' shenanigans at this time in a morning.

"Guys, just calm the heck down, yeah?" The pink hedgehog said groggily, "he's probably just gone for a walk, or into town or... just taking a real long dump, I dunno! "

"You seem to be real hot for this 'ignore our friend's vanishing into the ether', situation Ames..." Sonic replied with suspicion.

"Yeah..." Agreed Knuckles, setting his hands on his hips, "You maybe... hiding something Amy? A rogue jar of _peanut butter_ perhaps?"

"Be careful what you say!" squealed Sticks, hopping over the back of the sofa and pointing accusing finger at her friend. "She could be transmitting our speech through mind implants!!!"

Amy rubbed her temples. "Ugh... I think I'm getting a migraine..."

"Well I'm sorry the rest of us are worried about our friend, Amy!" Said Sonic, looking disappointedly at her. " He could have been captured by Eggman for some diabolical scheme! 

Sticks cackled with anticipation. "Restrain her her, guys! I'll head home and retrieve my mind control device removing kit!"

"Hey!" Amy responded defensively, "All I'm saying is we should probably wait a few more hours before getting all worked up about this! Tails is fine, he hasn't been captured by Eggman, and in fact it wouldn't surprise me if he showed back up any-"

"Hey guys!" 

The whole gang turned as one toward the front door, where a short yellow fox with red goggles resting on his forehead stood beaming. The fox glanced between the group with amused blue eyes. "What'cha talking about?"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ivo had gleefully listened to the senseless, foolish bickering of the creatures that had thwarted his plans for so long. Idiots! They had no idea that their 'little friend' was right outside the shack that belonged to Amy Rose.

He allowed himself a brief moment to psyche himself up, savouring the anticipation as he rolled his new shoulders, and stepped around the shack and through the front door.

"Hey guys!" The doctor greeted them in that insufferable cheery tone the upstart canine spoke in, "what'cha talking about?"

The rest of the gang regarded him curiously, seemingly surprised at his sudden appearance.

"Well!" Said Amy, wearing an unamused expression. "Speak of the devil and he shall appear..."

An anchor dropped in the doctor's stomach. Could they... could they tell? Had he made an error in the clone 's appearance? Was he holding himself correctly? If something was even slightly off about his disguise he could be-

"TAILS!!!"

The doctor wheezed as, in a flash of blue, the nemesis he usually towered over wrapped him in a bone-crushing hug and lifted his new body clean off the floor.

"Tails!" Sonic repeated, squeezing the air from Robotnik's lungs. "Oh gods dude, you're back! "

 _"S... Sonic?! I... can't breathe... "_ the doctor managed to hiss, feeling like a squeaky toy.

"Where did you go, dude? I was so worried about you! I-"

_"PUT ME DOWN YOU IMBECILE!!!"_

Sonic yelped and hopped back at the fox's outburst, setting him back on his feet.

"Woah, little buddy!" The hedgehog said, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly , "what's got YOU so cranky?"

Robotnik kicked himself internally for his slip.

"Uh, I... Um..." He mumbled, unconsciously fiddling with a fluffy tail, "I... skipped breakfast?"

The others now crowded around him looking upon what they thought was their youngest friend in bewildered concern. 

He cowered as he suddenly realised how _short_ he was now.

"Ha! I knew it! " The idiot echidna, whose name escaped Robotnik, raised an index finger as though he had experienced an epiphany. "We _do_ have a peanut butter thief on our hands! "

"So where _did_ you get to, Tails?" The pink hedgehog, Amy asked, stifling a yawn. "These numbskulls were losing their minds! "

"Oh, um... yes, you see..."

Robotnik was having trouble thinking clearly at this time. Probably something to do with the Very Large Echidna looming over him, sending a spike of primitive fear through his brand-new body. Curious eyes of various colours frowned from above.

He was saved from a reply as a growl, from a stomach that had not yet known food, echoed from his guts.

Sonic, Knuckles, and Amy grinned as 'Tails ' looked up at them sheepishly, clutching his stomach in surprise.

"I think... " Amy she chuckled, leaning back and wearing a coy expression, "Someone's hungry..."

'Tails' grinned and nodded frantically, searching for words.

"Uh, yes... I mean yeah! Totally, like, famished! Fellow teens! I could, like, mega sick go for some grub right now? Dudes? "

Perfect. His sudden nerves were robbing him of his cool. The others looked down at him in bewilderment at his babbled response.

Ivo shut his eyes and breathed deeply, as though fighting stage fright, attempting to settle into the role.

"Sorry guys..." 'Tails' said, rubbing the back of his head tiredly, "I just... haven't slept much, forgot to eat... I'm sorry I got you all so worried..." The 'fox' blinked up at his 'friends' with big tired eyes, and the doctor inside felt a pang of satisfaction as their expressions softened.

"Well then little buddy..." Replied the infernal blue hedgehog, reaching out and ruffling orange head fur, "guess we'd better get you some chow!"

"Meh' burger should be open in a half-hour, "agreed Amy, standing beside her blue companion, "We can take a quick walk and get some food there!"

'Tails' beamed up at his friends as he straightened his goggles, relieved that his ruse appeared to be working.

"Knux?" Said Sonic, playfully nudging his large red friend in the ribs, "You fancy giving the squirt a lift?"

The echidna wore a sly grin. "Sure..."

The fox eyed the surrounding mobians suspiciously.

"Uh, what... what d'you-"

Robotnik squeaked in surprise as knuckles grabbed him easily in one hand, and with an accompanying "c'mere, sleepyhead!" swung the much smaller fox up until he was perched on one shoulder like a parrot, legs swinging in the air helplessly.

"Lead the way, Ames!' chuckled the blue hedgehog, whom Robotnik was happy to be looking _down_ upon again. The pink hedgehog laughed, and led the party out the door. The whole gang marched in the direction of the nearby village, ready for food and relieved that their youngest member had returned safe and sound.

All except for the brown badger, who hadn't said a word the entire conversation as she eyed 'Tails' with intense scrutiny.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nobody really knew Tails' age. Even the fox himself was unsure; when he and Sonic had first met, the day the blue hedgehog rescued the yellow fox from a particular mad scientist, the kit had gone with four.

By virtue of math, Tails would now be eight, not that anybody worried about it any more. But one thing was certain - Tails, despite clearly being a child, was _intelligent_. enough so that he operated on a more or less adult level. And even though he was aware of his cuteness, and would use that to his advantage of he had to, he also didn't appreciate people treating him like a little kid.

So it struck Sonic as odd that upon placing their orders at Meh' Burger, the local burger joint, Tails selected the 'Meh'ppy Meal' from the kid's menu.

"You, uh..." Sonic mumbled , as Tails happily retrieved the two-cents worth of plastic they called a toy, "You enjoying yourself there, little buddy?"

Tails looked around the table the whole gang sat at, confused, as though figuring out where he was. An unimpressive plastic plane was clutched lightly in one hand.

"Huh... yes? Yes, I am quite... " the fox blinked as he took in his surroundings, appearing utterly confused, before frowning at the plastic in his hand. "What on Mobius is this rubbish?"

"That's... " Amy frowned, concerned with her friend's behaviour, "The... toy you get? With the kids' meal? "

"And I'll thank you not to call it rubbish!" Added Knuckles, clutching his own toy defensively.

Tails appeared confused. "Why in blazes would I order the kid's meal? "

"I dunno," Sticks said dryly, her own blue eyes boring into him, "why don't you tell us?" 

There was a brief moment of tension as Tails and Sticks appeared to stare one another down. Sonic and Amy both registered the strange event, exchanging worried glances while Knuckles continued to devour his own Meh'ppy meal.

"O... kay... " sonic said, clapping his hands together, "So where did you get to today, little buddy? You get lost on your way to the crapper? "

Tails continued to eye the badger for a moment before stammering an answer.

"I... just decided to take a nice walk? Just, uh... to clear my head?"

"That's what I said!" Added Amy, flashing a bright smile to lighten the mood. "I told them you'd probably just gone for a walk, to appreciate nature for once in your life!"

"Ah yes, nature!" Replied the fox, jumping on the offered explanation, "With the trees and... stuff..."

Sonic felt a stab of concern as Tails appeared to become lost in thought, fiddling with one of his namesakes in apparent fascination.

"Wanna enjoy nature, huh?" Sticks added, her eyes having not left the fox the entire conversation, "Well how 'bout I take you on a little outing myself? Just you and me?" She eyed the fox suspiciously. "Have ourselves a nice little chat..."

Tails chewed his lip nervously and timidly shook his head. "N... no thank you... uh... you..."

Sticks leaned forward over the table and glared at the young fox. "What's my name, huh? Do you remember? _Tails?_ "

Sonic knew when his little brother was afraid, and right now his eyes were wide with fear.

"Sticks! What's gotten into you?" Cried Sonic, jumping to his brother's defence, "can't you see you're scaring him?"

Tails leaned into the hedgehog's side and clutched his blue fur tight, ears flattened, staring at the badger with big frightened eyes.

"Yeah, _Sticks!_ " the fox yammered, as Sonic pulled him into a defensive hug, "You're creeping me out, Sticks! Sonic, tell Sticks to stop!"

"I think we should be more concerned about what's gotten into him... " replied the badger, stroking her chin thoughtfully.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The gang parted ways after that, Sonic making the excuse that his brother was clearly under the weather and needed some rest. Tails had enthusiastically agreed, apparently eager to get as far away from Sticks as possible.

Sonic understood. The badger could be a little... overbearing with her conspiracy theories at times.

"Yeah he's fine..." Sonic spoke into his wrist communicator to Amy, who had called to check on the young fox. "Just a little out of it... Gonna watch a movie later, just have a little bro's night, y'know?"

_"Uh-huh... so what do you think all that weird stuff with Sticks was about?"_ Amy's voice crackled through the communicator, while Sonic grabbed a pair of sodas, _"It's like she was accusing him of not being... well, him!"_

Sonic shrugged reflexively, despite being the only one in the room. "You know Sticks... spends too much time on conspiracy websites. Remember when the mayor was secretly an alien robot sent from the planet Quagaar to control us all? or when the government put chemicals in the water supply to make us all grow a few inches taller? She's a little... Out there, shall we say... "

Amy chuckled. _"Well that's a polite way of putting it, I guess... "_

Sonic was about to reply, when he paused - a strange noise could suddenly be heard from the couch, where he had deposited his little fox brother...

"Hold on, Ames..." He said, frowning in the direction of the living space, "just... gotta check on something..."

The hedgehog swiped his communicator and padded out of the kitchen, clutching the two sodas and ears perked.

He arrived at the couch to find Tails blissfully playing with his crappy plastic Meh'ppy meal toy, making machine gun and aeroplane noises with his mouth as he seemingly recreated a scene from Sky Wars in his imagination.

Well, that was something. Aside from things to fiddle with while working, Tails _never_ played with toys.

"Uh... Tails? " the hedgehog said, eyebrow raised, "What are you doing?"

The fox jerked in surprise, as though only just noticing Sonic's presence. He seemed genuinely bewildered as he looked at the toy in his hand.

"I..." Tails croaked, frowning in confusion , "don't know..."

"Okay well... I got you a-"

Sonic was cut off as Tails hopped from the couch, shoving clumsily past Sonic and ignoring the offered soda.

"I... am going for a walk..." He muttered .

"Okay, well do you want me to-"

The fox glared back at the hedgehog before Sonic could finish his sentence, fixing his brother with a pointed stare. 

"Alone."

Sonic looked at his brother with concern, suddenly noting how _off_ Tails looked.

"O... kay?"

The fox turned and stormed from the hut, twin tails slashing angrily, leaving a worried blue hedgehog behind.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Alright... pull yourself together!"

Robotnik angrily paced back and forth, wearing a trail into the deserted clearing He had found for himself in the forest. The evening sun was setting above, appearing to cast his shadow into more... human dimensions.

"Playing with toys? Since when does a super genius play with toys?! You are not a child! Snap out of it!! "

It was unforeseen. In this form, despite his formidable intellect and... _mature_ age... he was still inside a child's brain. And it was beginning to manifest itself in increasing ways of juvenile behaviour. His timidity, his difficulty concentrating, selecting the kiddies meal from the burger joint, playing with the toy aeroplane... all side effects of a grown man essentially and suddenly being eight years old again.

Or ten. Or six. Or twelve, or whatever damn age the blasted fox child really was.

Robotnik took a moment to collect himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

His twin tails wrapped around himself and he giggled. Comfy.

Then he pumped his fists and internally kicked himself. 

"Idiot! What are you doing?! You can't afford any more of these slips!"

He angrily batted the tails away from his midsection and set one hand on a hip, raising his other in the air determinedly.

"I am not some snot-nosed canine brat! I am Doctor Ivo Robotnik, genius mastermind, supervillain extraordinaire, future leader of the Eggman Empire, and... and... and... "

He trailed off as he suddenly realised how _big_ and _dark_ and _scary_ these woods were... and how _small_ and _alone_ and _afraid_ he was...

"I... I want my mommy... "

There was a pause, before the great Doctor Robotnik smacked his hands over his mouth and released a muffled scream as he realised what he'd just said.

"I... have to get out of this body..." He muttered, staring at his own hands. "For the sake of my dignity!"

He reached around and rubbed the back of his neck where the transference implant lay beneath a covering of yellow fur. He reached out and felt a flutter of relief as he felt his own body, in the extreme back of his current brain, resting peacefully on the life support of the transference machine.

Good. He was still tethered to his anchor.

Robotnik felt a wave of calm wash over him as he realised he still had his escape route, and smirked as he looked at a gloved hand.

"I can do this... maintain my composure..." He sniggered, like a devious little child, "The badger may be on to me... but I'm sure I can keep her off of my..." Robotnik grinned malevolently as he twisted the end of a tail around his finger . " _Tails!_ "

With a final roll of the shoulders and a crick of the neck, Robotnik turned to head back to Sonic's shack, wondering what the most painful movie he could select to screw with the hedgehog further might be. He smirked as he imagined the looks on Team Sonic's faces when they finally learned how thoroughly they had been deceived.

The smirk instantly vanished and was replaced with terror as, with a snarl of fury, a brown beast lunged from the bushes and pounced on the small fox, bowling him to the ground.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"HAH! I knew it!!" Sticks screeched in triumph, pinning the yellow fox to the ground. "I knew you weren't the real Tails!!"

The fox glared up at her in shock, mouth flapping. 

"What... what do you want?" The fox whimpered, struggling weakly in the larger badger's grip. "You're hurting me!"

Sticks glared at him psychotically. "What... " she growled, "have you done with Tails? "

The fox gazed up at her in such innocent confusion that Sticks considered she might have made a mistake... and then the mask slipped, the fear evaporated, and the fox that had replaced Tails sneered up at her maliciously.

"What do you mean, _Sticks?_ I'm right here!"

Sticks almost recoiled at the sudden shift in the fox's temperament, the horribly evil grin of Robotnik now leering up at her from Tails' face.

She tightened her grip and leaned in closer, blue eyes boring into his threateningly.

"No," she hissed through gritted teeth, "I don't believe you. I don't know how you've done it, _Robotnik,_ but this is _not_ Tails!"

The fox leaned his head forward, the two noses almost touching one another.

"That's a very interesting theory, girl..." He sneered like a spoiled child, "but I don't suppose you have any... evidence?"

Sticks released a low growl from her throat, before another voice interrupted their little 'discussion'.

"Sticks! What the hell are you doing?!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both Sticks and the imposter's ears perked and they looked toward the source of the voice, to find Sonic, Knuckles and Amy traipsing up the path and wearing shocked expressions as they found the badger pinning the smaller fox to the ground.

While she was off guard, Robotnik slipped from her grasp and scrambled toward the others, instinctively clutching to Sonic's side and wearing big frightened eyes.

"She's crazy, Sonic!" Cried 'Tails', digging his claws into Sonic's fur, "She hurt me!"

Sticks eyes widened in shock and she jabbed an angry finger at the 'fox'.

"He's lying! I swear, I -"

"Sticks, how could you?" Amy looked at Sticks as though she didn't recognise the badger, shocked that she had seen her friend attacking their youngest fellow. She placed a comforting hand on Tails' shoulder, which the fox seemed to snuggle into. "He's just a kid!"

"Yeah!" Agreed Knuckles , "And he's not even lying! He's standing straight up!! You really are crazy! "

Sticks simply flapped her mouth, appalled that her friends were so convinced by the imposter. 

"But.. that's Robotnik!" Sticks planted her feet and pointed desperately at the fox. "He's fooling you all!!"

Sonic looked down to the frightened, quivering form of his brother, and then back to Sticks.

She recognised the look she gave him - _disappointment_.

"Sticks..." The blue hedgehog said, gently handing Tails to Amy as he stepped forward. "I think... you shouldn't be around for a couple of days. Get your head straight... Y'know? "

Sticks slumped as she realised what Sonic was saying.

"Yeah, Sticks..." Amy said, kneading Tails ' head fur like a concerned big sister, "We know you have your... problems... " Sticks bristled at _that_. "But... don't you think-"

"Forget it.." Said Sticks dejectedly, "You don't believe me..."

The others shuffled awkwardly, until Knuckles spoke up.

"Its not that we don't _believe_ you, Sticks... " the large echidna said, playing with his dangling dreadlock spines, "It's just that we think everything you say has no merit in reality, and often influenced by your overwhelming paranoia!"

There was a pause, as everyone understood the impasse they were at.

"Fine..." Muttered Sticks , "You'll see..."

"come on guys... " Sonic said, gesturing in the direction of his shack. "Lets go..."

"Knuckles?"

Knuckles looked down to find a small yellow fox reaching up, wagging his fingers. Knuckles grinned and bent down.

"Okay, hold on squirt... "

Sticks watched, infuriated, as the evil imposter was lifted off of his feet like a child, and settled himself onto the echidna's shoulders like a tiny yellow tank commander.

As the rest of Team Sonic walked away, the small yellow fox on the red echidna's shoulders turned to face the badger... and stuck his tongue out at her while the others weren't looking.

Sticks didn't respond. Instead she made a plan - there was only one place on the island that Eggman would keep the real Tails prisoner...

"Okay, guys..." The badger growled , gripping her go mounted boomerang, "You want evidence? I'll give you evidence... "

And thus the badger ran in the opposite direction to her friends, making plans to expose the imposter that was Robotnik.


	2. The Birth of Evil Tails

Sonic's ears perked and he chuckled as, on the couch beside him, a squeaky yawn emerged from the exhausted looking face of his younger brother. The fox's ears flattened and he blinked in apparent surprise, wrapped in his own tails as the TV flickered.

Sonic grinned. "Tired, dude?"

Tails shook his head. "Uh... No! Im, uh... wide awake! Totally!"

" Uh huh, sure... "

Sonic turned his attention back to the TV, where some... unbearable kiddies' movie played. Something about little yellow things getting up to mischief in a lab.

Okay, Sonic could see the whole 'laboratory' setting appealing to Tails... But since when did he watch actual kid's movies? Sonic had expected the fox to select some deep and thought-provoking science fiction flick - Edge Hunter or something. That was his usual fair when it came to movies.

Still, he appeared to be enjoying himself, sleepily cuddling into his own tails as he blissfully watched the movie.

Sonic mused as he crunched on a handful of popcorn. Tails _was_ still a child... After years of fighting Eggman, adventuring, working on inventions... maybe he was just letting himself enjoy the things he never had time for when he was younger. Letting himself just be a _kid_ for a change.

It wasn't long until Sonic heard the sound of quiet snoring from the other end of the couch. He turned to find Tails, completely zonked and dribbling slightly, little chest rising and falling with his snores.

The hedgehog shook his head and grinned.

"Not tired huh?" He said, rising to his feet, "yeah right..."

Tails squeaked in surprise, eyes barely opening, as Sonic reached down and lifted him over his shoulder. 

_"wh... whu'choo'doin..."_ the fox mumbled, as he was carried away from the living room.

"Bedtime, bud. Big brother's orders!"

_"uh... uhn'handme... yoo... imb'cile..."_

Tails muttered incomprehensibly as Sonic deposited him in his bed, giving the kid enough dignity to shuffle into the covers himself. The fox snuggled into his own tails and quickly dozed off, leaving Sonic standing hands on hips, wearing a grin as he looked down at his sleeping brother.

He thought about what Sticks had said earlier. Crazy girl... how on Mobius could _this_ be Robotnik?

"You might be a genius," Sonic muttered to the sleeping fox, "But who said you could be so damn adorable?"

His only reply was a quick flicker of yellow ears.

Sonic turned with a final "Night, dude...", and closed the door to Tails' room, leaving the unconscious fox sleeping peacefully.

And over in Eggman's lair, the real Tails growled with frustration as he realised there was no way he could escape from his prison.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He had been dreaming.

Robotnik had been dreaming of when he was little.... scattered images of a small bespectacled child, tinkering and playing with the small robots and contraptions he liked to make... he didn't go out much. Didn't like to. The other children... Weren't kind.

And so he would tinker, like his grandfather, until he had assembled a small army of robots, arranged in lines on his desk. He imagined himself at the head of such an army... one day...

Then the images started to warp, and Ivo Robotnik realised he was dreaming. And regaining consciousness.

He grumbled, heavy lids creaking open, slowly leaning up on one elbow. He dumbly realised he was in a small bed, in a room filled with models and books and devices. A computer sat in one corner, and blueprints of future projects and posters of machines hung from the walls.

Robotnik frowned. "How in blazes did I get here?"

He jerked with a start at his own voice, before realisation of his predicament hit him. He reached out with his mind, feeling the distant beat of his human body. Good. The tether was still strong.

He clumsily swung his legs out of the bed, stretching his limbs, reacquainting himself with the small form of the cloned fox his mind currently inhabited.

He padded over to a small mirror and peered inside. The yellow and white face of the mobian fox Miles Prower stared back at him. He adjusted the messy head fur and bangs, and grinned. Uncanny.

The doctor stepped back from the mirror and flexed his - _the drone's_ \- twin tails. He fiddled with the ends of the appendages thoughtfully. He had never understood the physics behind Prower's flight capabilities. This would be the perfect opportunity to find out.

Grinning maliciously and anticipating another day of espionage, doctor Robotnik walked out of the room and allowed his face to fall into a cheery expression more suited to the real fox Miles Prower.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves, everybody's nerves... I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves, all day lo-"

"would you _please_..." Orbot raised a hand and cut Tails' off-key singing in exasperation , "kindly be quiet for five minutes?"

"Sure!" Replied the fox, sat on the floor of his cell with his back to the wall, "I'll be real quiet if you... y'know, just let me go? "

Orbot shook his head and sighed. "I don't get paid enough for this. .."

"We don't get paid at all! " Cubot piped up helpfully, "We're kind of, y'know, essentially unwilling slaves!

Orbot released a sigh of resignation. "Im not... unwillingly enslaved enough for this..."

Tails began drumming his claws against the cold metal floor of the cell, bored. it wouldn't be long before his friends came to rescue him... right? It couldn't be long. Egg-face couldn't be _that_ good of an actor...

"So..." The fox called over to the two mechanoids , "what's egg-head think he can achieve by pretending to be me? What's his angle?"

Orbot set his hands on his 'hips' as he levitated around to face their prisoner.

"As if I would divulge information on our master's ingenious strategies to the likes of you! " the bot replied indignantly.

"He wants to spy on you and find a way to take down Team Sonic from the inside!" Added Cubot.

_"CUBOT?!?!"_

Cubot shrugged under his companion's appalled gaze. 

"What? I'm bored! It's not like he can escape! and the boss always likes to rub his enemies' noses in their defeat by revealing details of his plans when they're incapacitated! I'm just doing what he would want!"

Orbot pinched the bridge of his non-existent nose and sighed.

Tails perked his ears. 

"How did he do it?" The kit enquired, fascination suddenly bubbling, "Turn himself into... well, me? "

Orbot decided he didn't care if the fox knew of the transference machine. It wouldn't aid his escape... and the exasperated robot appreciated having intelligent, rational company for a change.

"He technically didn't 'turn himself' into anything..." The pompous robot replied, waving a hand. "Utilizing his considerable 'genius', he was able to almost fully transfer his conscious mind into a clone of your body, that he developed from genetic material taken from a previous skirmish with you."

"Non-consensual cloning, huh? Can't say I'm a fan..." Tails leaned his head against the wall. "So he's operating my clone by remote?"

Orbot shook his head. "No. His mind is mostly inside the clone, but is still partially connected to his normal form. Consider his human body as an anchor. If anything unfortunate should happen to the drone, his mind will be remotely transferred back."

Tails frowned. "And what if something 'unfortunate' should happen to his human body?"

Orbot sighed and palmed his face. "Take a wild guess..."

Tails bristled. Knowing egg-head and his half-baked schemes, tendency to not think things through...

"You must be joking..."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well!" Chuckled Sonic, as a weary looking fox padded into the kitchen, "Glad to see you up, sleepyhead!"

'Tails' grinned as he entered the kitchen, adjusting his goggles. 

"Hi, Sonic!" Robotnik chirruped, imitating the fox child's voice exactly, "What's for breakfast?"

Sonic leaned back and smirked at his brother. "What, your arms broke? You know where everything is, get whatever you want!"

"But So-niiiic..." The fox whined needily, leaning his head on the now taller hedgehog's shoulder, "I'm tiiiired..."

Sonic rolled his eyes and chuckled at the display, reminded of the more child-like fox he'd taken in years previously.

"Fine, sit your fluffy little butt down and tell me what you want..."

The fox's ears perked and he hopped happily. "Sugar Bombs!!"

Sonic frowned. "I... don't think we have any of those, little buddy..."

Robotnik kicked himself. Of course they wouldn't, his favourite childhood cereal had been out of production for decades...

"Uh, I mean..." Robotnik cursed himself for his slip, ears drooping involuntarily, "You know what? I'll have whatever you make! You're the best, _big bro!_ "

Sonic shook his head incredulously, reaching out and ruffling the fox's head fur.

"Fine, buddy... but its your turn tomorrow! I ain't your personal chef!"

The fox grinned and positively ran from the kitchen. Leaving the hedgehog smiling in mild confusion. Tails really was feeling like a kid brother again.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sticks huffed as she hopped from her canoe, bare feet smacking into the rock of the small island. Before her, utterly alien on the tropical island, Robotnik's evil lair reached into the sky, an artificial horror of steel and white panels.

She clenched her fists determinedly. Breaching the mad doctor's lair was usually no easy feat... But the doctor wasn't home right now. And she was a resourceful badger. She would find a way inside.

"Hold on Tails... " the badger whispered, reaching for a long spear-like device on her back, "I'll get you outta there..."

Sticks had never been one to embrace technology, actively shunning it as much as she reasonably could from her everyday life. But Tails had helped construct the thing, and she had to admit - it was extremely potent when it came to smashing Badniks.

In her hands, the Shock Spear hissed to life, energy crackling around its sharpened tip. Sticks grinned.

"Time ta stick me some scrap-heads!"

With that, the badger took off over the rocky island, making a beeline straight for the base.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robotnik had a job to do. He knew this. Spy on Team Sonic find some way of disrupting their operational capacity, compromise them from inside, capture the blue hedgehog.

But it wasn't every day you got to be eight years old again. 

The doctor grinned maliciously as he reached out 'his' arms and grabbed hold of an enormous ice cream, almost as big as he was - the Hedgehog Village Sundae-nator. He felt a ripple of delight as Sonic begrudgingly paid the vendor.

"Thirteen bucks for an ice cream cone..." The blue hedgehog muttered, emptying his wallet. "Now that's what I call _cold_.."

Robotnik sniggered. "Thank you, big brother!" He replied, his tone almost as sickeningly sweet as the ice cream cone that swayed in his hands.

Inwardly, he was delighted. The blue hedgehog was utterly convinced he was Prower, as were Amy and Knuckles. The Transference machine had been the doctor's greatest success in years. He considered the potential applications with relish... and he thought about other ways he could further mess with the infernal blue hedgehog.

The doctor grinned. He was having fun.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey, you wanna hear the most annoying sound in the world?"

Tails leaned up from his position lying on the prison cell bed, while Orbot slowly grabbed the sides of his head.

"Please.. Not again..." 

Tails grinned, before emitting a long, keening sound from his throat, that lasted as long as he could expel air from his lungs.

Orbot, clutching his head in despair, felt a brief flutter of relief when Tails ran out of air... until the fox took a deep breath and repeated the indescribably infuriating noise.

"Would you _please be quiet?!_ " the red and silver mechanoid snapped, "You're making me want to remove my own audio receptors! "

"I can stop anytime dude, you just gotta let me walk out the door..."

"This guy's fun! " said Cubot, who was actively enjoying the fox's antics. 

Orbot sighed, floating before the two guard Badniks assigned to assist them watch Tails. 

"How could my day get any worse..." The more spherical bot groaned.

As if in reply, a maintenance panel burst from the wall, causing every individual in the prison to jump in shock.

A snarling brown beast hopped from the duct with a battle cry, charging the nearest Badnik and impaling it with a sparking spear, a charge of energy pulsing through the robot and overloading its systems.

The other Badnik turned to open fire, before the brown assailant threw a boomerang with extreme precision. The crude hunting weapon bounced from the Badnik's 'head' with a clunk, momentarily stunning it, before the machine met the same fate as it's counterpart, collapsing to the floor in a smoking heap.

Sticks the badger turned to the remaining two robots, Orbot and Cubot, who seemingly didn't intend on meeting the same end as the security Badniks. They clung to one another in fright and cowered beneath the battle hungry badger.

"Please! don't hurt us!"

"We give up!! "

Sticks glared at the two bots, her shock spear still crackling with electricity. "Move a muscle, and you're scrap!"

" Technically we don't have muscles? " Cubot added helpfully, "more like servos and-"

Sticks shut the babbling bot up with a low growl. 

"Sticks!"

The badger looked the prison cell's only occupant and grinned. She gestured to the cell door. "Let him out!" she commanded .

"Absolutely! Anything you say! "

Orbot and Cubot scrambled to open the cell, and Tails emerged barefoot and beaming with relief.

"Its good to see you, Sticks!"

"You too Tails!' Sticks replied, "well... The _real_ you, anyway! "

Tails grimaced. "Let me guess... Robotnik? "

She nodded. "Ol' Egghead has everybody convinced he's you... Well, almost everyone! I'm too smart ta' fool!" she suddenly leaned forward and waved her spear in his general direction. "You _are_ 'da real Tails, right?"

Tails hopped back defensively, arms raised in the air as the spear end crackled. "YES! Jeez Sticks, yes I'm me!!"

Sticks appeared to ponder him suspiciously for a moment, before nodding with satisfaction and turning her attention back to the cowering robots.

"You two..." she waved her spear and bared her teeth, "I know Egghead's masquerading as my friend here... an' you're gonna help us stop him..." The badger grinned maliciously as she sent a pulse of energy through the spear, causing the mechanoids to cling to one another in alarm. " Do I make myself clear? "

"Absolutely!"

"Yes ma'am!"

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tails felt a bristle of discomfort run up his spine as he laid eyes on the Transference Machine. Two chairs, connected by a series of pulsing cables and wires, one empty and the other... containing the comatose form of Doctor Ivo Robotnik, kept alive on artificial life support.

"So this is it, huh?" Tails murmured, taking in the sight of the strange machine. "This is where Egghead's controlling my clone?"

"I guess..." Sticks leaned forward and rapped her knuckles on the doctor's head, receiving no response from 're hibernating human. "Hard ta believe he's walkin' around out there in a copy of you!"

"Please!" Orbot floated forward , hands raised pleadingly, "This is delicate equipment! You mustn't disturb it! "

"And he left you two in charge of it?" Tails chuckled , "he must be crazier than I thought..."

Tails leaned over the machine and pondered its workings.

"so... " Sticks said, hefting her shock spear, "How do we unplug this thing? "

Tails shook his head, "Not sure... this is complicated stuff... It's gonna take a while to figure out." The fox reached up and scratched at an ear as he considered. "It looks like we need to carefully release the hinges... "

"Ah, screw it!"

"Huh? " Tails looked to find his badger friend raising her spear above her head, a deranged look in her eyes, crackling blade ready to cleave into the complex machine. Tails stood and raised his hands in shock. "Sticks, no!"

Too late. The shock spear clove into the heart of the Transference Machine, sparks and smoke filled the air, and a blinding white light engulfed everything in the vicinity.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Better be careful, buddy..." Sonic grinned, watching the top of his brother's head as Tails tucked into his stupidly large ice cream. The two brothers were sat at a park bench, taking a break in the mid-morning sun. "Eat too many of those, and you'll end up like old egg-head! "

Tails' eyes whipped to meet his, and Sonic had to suppress a chuckle at the wide-eyed look of insult the fox gave him from a face covered with ice cream.

"What?" Yelped the fox, "How DARE you! I-"

Sonic raised an eyebrow at his brother's tone, before Tails paused to wipe his mouth on the back of a hand.

"-I look... _nothing like_ old egg... old egg-pants!" The fox grinned sheepishly up at the hedgehog , "And I resent the notion!"

Sonic wore a mock-thoughtful expression, one arm folded and a finger on his chin.

"Hmm, I dunno..." The hedgehog said playfully, "You put the goggles down..."

Tails squeaked as Sonic reached out and quickly pulled his usual red goggles over his eyes, unable to do anything with the comically large ice cream in his hands.

"And make the edges here all crazy looking... " sonic flicked at the edges of his brother's muzzle, arranging the fur into crazy angles, "flatten the ears down..." Sonic did so with a hand "And _voila!_ One tiny little....egg... head... "

Tails grimaced from his rearranged features, more a baring of teeth than a grin, and something pinged in the back of Sonic's mind.

Tails, still grinning in that humourless, leering way, released a stuttering desperate laugh.

"Ahahahahahahaha!!" Sonic cocked his head at the disturbingly uncomfortable sound, "That's... that's why you're the best, Sonic!" The fox went on, now seemingly looking for somewhere to deposit the comically large ice cream, "Such a sense of humour! Ludicrous that I... that I..."

Sonic frowned as Tails appeared to tense up, freezing mid-sentence.

"Uh... Tails? You-" 

Sonic didn't get the chance to voice his concern as, like a mannequin with its strings cut, the small yellow fox slumped from the bench, and planted face-first into his giant ice cream.

"TAILS!!!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sonic leapt to the ground beside his brother, grabbing the yellow shoulders and heaving him onto his back. Tails stared ahead blankly behind the red goggles, mouth lolling open lifelessly.

"Oh Gods... Tails, please be okay..."

concerned citizens looked on as Sonic leaned his head to Tails mouth, listening for a breath, feeling for a heartbeat, anything that would signal his brother was-

The hedgehog jerked back as, with an enormous gulp of air, the yellow fox lurched back up, coughing and sputtering as though he'd been drowning.

"Woah, easy there buddy, easy!" Sonic patted his brother's back as the fox wheezed, clutching his chest and heaving with desperate breaths. "You okay?! What happened? "

Tails didn't answer, simply looking around in confusion, eyes hidden by the goggles. He looked at his hands, his feet splayed before him, his tails wrapping around each side.

"No..." The fox muttered , as though to himself. "This isn't right... not right at all..."

"Hey buddy, just try and rest easy..."

Tails ignored him, reaching around and fumbling at the back of his neck as though searching for something. He seemed to tense for a moment, breath stilling, before wrenching himself from the hedgehog's grasp and scrambling uneasily to his feet.

"T... Tails?"

Sonic looked on, bewildered as his brother marched unsteadily away, staggering as though he had a concussion. He hopped to his feet and pursued the fox, setting a hand on his shoulder as he caught up.

"Hey dude! What's going on-"

_"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!!!"_

Sonic recoiled as the fox spun to face him, a bristle of shock running up his quills as his eyes registered snarling teeth beneath red goggles, edges of the crazy 'moustache' quiv -

Sonic's spines raised and he glared in horror. "No way..."

'Tails' ignored him, turning and continuing his march in the opposite direction - right toward Doctor Robotnik's evil lair.

"No way..." Sonic repeated, horror mounting as he realised that Sticks... Sticks might have been _right._

"I... I _tucked you in!!!_ " The hedgehog cried in disgust, before following the retreating 'fox' from a distance.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"I told him..." Orbot moaned, palm resting against his domelike head, "and he blithely disregarded my concerns... as usual..."

"Sure did..." Added Cubot, floating beside his companion, " _And_ he didn't listen to you!"

Sonic found himself in a curious situation, here in the smoke-tinged section of Eggman's lab. Orbot and Cubot hovered above the cold metal floor, while a _very_ frazzled brown badger and yellow fox, fur frizzy and singed as though electrocuted, stood nearby.

Meanwhile, another yellow fox, identical to Tails, gawped in horror at the smoking ruin of the transference machine, sparks crackling from erupted cables, the machine destroyed by an intolerable surge of power.

There were two chairs. One was empty, its prior occupant now staring in devastation... at the black smudge, that had once been a human body, that stained the other chair.

There was a dreadful silence as the other fox - _Robotnik_ \- visibly shook with anger as he stared at what remained - well, what _didn't_ remain - of his human body.

"What..." The doctor hissed, slowly turning to face Tails , "Did... you... DO?!?"

"Ah, well..." Tails, comically frazzled by the detonation, awkwardly played with his hands as his double glared at him from beneath his own goggles. "We tried to disconnect you... Y'know, because of the whole 'spying on my friends while disguised as me' thing?" The real fox folded his arms and stared at his imposter accusingly. "Then somebody - not naming any names here... " Sticks hovered nearby, appearing incredibly pleased with herself, "Initiated an extreme power surge, overloading the systems and... well..."

 _"FWASH!!!"_ Sticks hopped and spread her hands dramatically, "Vaporization!!"

Robotnik glared between the two sizzled Mobians. 

"You... _vaporized me?!"_

Sticks nodded happily while Tails rocked back and forth, chewing his lip. 

"Ah... yeah..." The fox replied, "Kinda..."

The doctor hissed like a steam locomotive as he, step by step, approached the fox he now resembled identically.

"You... contemptible... infuriating... infernal, intolerable, MEDDLESOME PESTS!!! "

Tails recoiled at Eggman's outburst, the doctor's speech getting higher with each exclamation. 

"Do you have ANY IDEA what you have DONE TO ME?!??"

"Hey, you did this to yourself, egg-for-brains!" Tails replied, wiping spittle from his face with disgust, "Besides, can't you just clone yourself another body and transfer back? Y'know, if you're such a _genius?_ "

" _CLONE_ myself?! " the doctor choked, furiously pointing at the dark stain that had been his portly form, "From WHAT?!?"

Tails fiddled with his namesakes as he registered the implication. " _Ah._ "

"And... and even if I could clone myself another body..." Robotnik began to sound desperate, calculations running through his brain as he stared down at his hands, "My body... The Anchor... without that..." The fox-ified doctor grabbed Tails by the chest fur and shook him, two identical black noses millimetres apart. "I'M _STUCK_ LIKE THIS, YOU HALF-WIT!! FOR GOOD!!!"

Before anybody could reply, a snort of laughter tore from across the room. All eyes and optics turned toward Sonic, who for the entire ordeal had remained silent, now wearing a mischievous grin as he laid eyes on the reconstituted doctor.

"Well, doc... " the hedgehog snickered, I guess you really _outfoxed_ us this time, huh? "

Robotnik's arms pinned beside his body and his hands clenched into fists.

_"Get. Out."_

Sonic chuckled, gesturing to Sticks and Tails. "Come on guys... " he said, grinning at the now permanently smaller and fluffier form of the great Doctor Robotnik, "I think we need to give the doc some time to _adjust!_ "

"GET OUT!!!"

The ribbing continued as the trio were ushered out of the lab by the very angry ball of yellow fluff and his lackeys, Orbot and Cubot trailing along uncertainly.

"So Sticks? What do you think of the doc 's new... condition? "

_"Get out!"_

Sticks giggled, thoroughly pleased with her work. "Well, he _is_ super cute... but his attitude stinks!"

_"Get out!"_

"Oh?" Added Tails, joining in on the fun, " So do you think _I'm _cute? "__

_"Get out!!"_

"Well sure!" Replied Sticks, grinning playfully, "but little Egghead..." 

Before the doctor could react, Sticks swung around and pinched his cheek with one hand, ripping his goggles off with the other. 

_"... Is such a cutie-wutie pwecious wittwe angy boi!!!"_

Robotnik recoiled as though from a venomous snake, pumping his fists and squeezing his eyes shut as he screeched. 

_"GetoutgetoutgetoutgetoutGETOOOOUUUUTTT!!!! "_

There were further laughs at Robotnik's expense as, now at the front door to the lair, the doctor hopped up and down, too short to reach his own door controls and lacking Tails' flight abilities.

Sonic chuckled, while Tails happily retrieved his goggles from Sticks. "Need a hand there, little guy? "

Robotnik ignored the hedgehog, turning to grab Cubot and hopping onto the Mechanoid's head like a box.

"Hey hey, Doc... being real here, just one last thing before we leave..."

Before Robotnik could offer any kind of reply, the hedgehog winked and offered a hand in mock greeting.

"Welcome to the Mobian Race!" He said evilly, _"little buddy!"_

Robotnik made a sound like a punctured inflatable, eyes bulging in outrage, before hammering the door controls and disappearing behind the door with a mechanical hiss.

There was a pause as Sonic, Tails and Sticks all shared a look, before bursting into hysterics outside the small yellow doctor's lair.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What... do we do?" Cubot whispered into Orbot's audio receptors. The two robots hovered, literally and figuratively, a distance away from the sulking yellow figure sat slumped in the middle of the lab. Robotnik sat on the cold metal floor, all six limbs slack, glaring sullenly through his stolen red and white sneakers. Devastation was pasted all over the yellow and white face of Miles Prower - a face he was now indefinitely, if not permanently, stuck with.

"Let's... See if we can console him?" Orbot replied, and the two robots floated over to their transformed master.

"Uh... boss?" Cubot said tentatively, "you... okay there?"

The flicker of a yellow ear was the only sign the doctor had heard him. The two mechanoids exchanged glances.

"Why don't you give us a nice threaten, eh?" Tried Orbot, putting on his most comforting voice. "A good threaten always makes you feel better!"

Robotnik just looked at his lackeys with vacant blue eyes.

"Yeah, boss!" Chipped in Cubot, "the day just isn't complete until you say you're going to pound us into scrap!"

There was no reply, causing the two robots to worry even more... until a keening wail bubbled from the back of the doctor's throat, and Robotnik - his mind now trapped inside the brain of a child - exploded into the biggest tantrum the lab had ever seen.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_"IT'S... NOT... FAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRR!!!!"_

The two robots clung to one another as their master pounded the floor with gloved fists, tears and snot streaming everywhere, frightened that he might actually make good on his promise to dismantle them in his emotionally compromised state.

 _" I... JUST... WANNA... BEAT... THAT... STUPID... HEDGEHOOOOOOOG...."_ the doctor wailed, _"COS... HE... THWARTS.... ALL... MY... EVIL... PLAAAAANS??? AND... NOW... I'M... STUCK... LIKE... THIS... FOR...EVEEEEEERRRR..."_

Orbot released his grip on the other bot and hovered over to the wailing fox.

"Now now, don't cry, sir!" He said gently, "why, I bet you'll find a way to return yourself to human form by next week!"

"Yeah!" Added Cubot, "Just in time for another episode!" He looked directly into where a camera might have been in an attempt to break the fourth wall, failing miserably as this isn't a TV show.

The doctor shuffled into a sitting position, sobbing and hiccupping into his twin tails.

"N... not possible..." He whimpered, eyes bloodshot and ears drooped, "With... without the anch... or..." Cubot retrieved a handkerchief from out of the ether and handed it to his master, who accepted it gingerly. "It... would... cause... fatal... brain... trauma...."

Orbot considered the bizarre scenario of a crying child sobbingly explaining his own mad science, laying a comforting hand on the doctor's shoulder.

"Well... I'm sure we'll find a way to make it work!" The red and silver bot said, glancing back to his comrade, "isn't that right, Cubot?"

The boxy robot nodded enthusiastically.

"That's right, boss! I mean, for one thing, you're super adorable now!"

Orbot sighed and palmed his head. "Not helping, Cubot..."

"Also, you're like, a little kid again! Right?"

"Don't worry sir, I'll load us into the garbage chute myself..." Groaned Orbot, anticipating the tantrum of all tantrums yet to come. 

"That means you get to grow up again, right? That means you get to live a super long time! And, if you were cloned from Tails, you have super cool powers now!"

"Cubot..." Orbot sighed, "that's-"

"Absol... utely... right!"

Orbot turned in surprise to find his master, head cocked and ears perked, now regarding Cubot with interest. Tears suddenly plugged and inspiration in his eyes, the doctor hopped to his feet and stared at his hands.

"With... this body..." He croaked, thoughts running through his brain, "I have _decades_ added to my life! Not to mention...." He grabbed a tail in each hand, "Curious potential powers..." Blue eyes flicked toward Orbot and Cubot, and the doctor's face split into that familiar Eggman sneer. "The shorter stature is unfortunate, and I'll have to endure the inconvenience of puberty again of course... but with my years of experience, and with appropriate conditioning, I have the potential to become the most powerful, most formidable, most feared supervillain of all time!!"

"That's the spirit, boss!"

"Yes, I agree!"

You could almost hear the inspirational anthem as Robotnik stood straight, turned to view the island out the window where Team Sonic resided, and clenched a fist.

"The dream isn't dead, boys!" The doctor enthused, "only... reborn! Like myself!" He hopped onto a nearby chair and jabbed a gloved digit toward the island.

"You think you can humiliate me, Sonic and Tails?!" Robotnik sneered, "You think you can keep me down?!? I am the great Doctor Ivo Robotnik, genius mastermind and super villain extraordinaire, future leader of the..." He tapped his chin in thought for a moment, before grinning maliciously. 

"Future leader of the Egg- _Fox_ Empire!"

With that, the mad Doctor threw his head back and cackled malevolently, hands raised to the air as his mechanical lackeys looked on.

"He's... lost it, hasn't he?"

"Did he ever 'have it' to begin with?"

"SILENCE!!!!"


	3. The Trials of Evil Tails

"You know, Cubot..." Hummed Orbot happily, he and his boxy yellow companion floating through the halls of the lair with trays of food and drink in hand, "Breakfast time is becoming my favourite time of the day!"

"Yeah! We get abused way less these days!" The yellow bot nodded in agreement, "He's only threatened to dismantle me once before eight o clock this week! I think I'm starting to like our boss like this!"

The two robots hovered to a stop before their master's bedroom door, and Orbot raised a finger to his 'lips'.

"Let's be quiet..." The effeminate bot whispered, "Just to make it more of a surprise!"

With that, the two bots braced themselves, slowly and silently entering the room... and Orbot sang as he raised his tray.

"Wakey-Wakey!" The silver-red robot sang, his tray of food raised in one hand.

A high pitched, excited voice replied. _"Eggs and bakey!!!"_

Before them, swamped by the king-size bed the doctor owned, a fluffy yellow and white face emerged from beneath the covers, followed swiftly by the small form of a young mobian fox.

The fox bounced over the bed and hopped to the floor, eyeing the breakfast excitedly. Halfway over the bedroom he turned, distracted, and happily began chasing his own tails.

"Cubot! Take a picture!" Orbot cooed in adoration, "he's chasing his tails again!"

Cubot produced a camera from the ether and snapped a picture, the flash illuminating the bedroom for a split second. The bright light caused the spinning fox to take pause, confusion plastered over his features.

The fox, a tail in each hand, appeared bewildered for a moment. Bewilderment turned to realisation, and realisation turned to fury as the fox scowled and jabbed a clawed digit at the two bots.

"You fools!!" Robotnik, his brain having fully woken, snarled at his lackeys. "You're supposed to _prevent_ me from regressing into these episodes! Not encouraging them!"

"But sir! You look so happy! And play is important for the development of a young mind!" Orbot handed his master the plate of breakfast. "As is a healthy breakfast!"

The doctor sniffed at the offered meal, black nose twitching. "What's this garbage?"

"I made you your favourite! Fried eggs and hash browns, and I cut the toast into little soldiers so you could dip them in your yolk!"

"Are you kidding? I said egg whites only! And these hash browns are way too crispy! What, did you cremate the damn things?!" Robotnik set aside the plate and crossed his arms, pouting like a spoiled child. An improvement - normally he would probably have thrown the food to the ground and made the robots clean up the mess.

"I'll make do with a Meh burger... Now where's my evil supervillain uniform? Have you nincompoops finished manufacturing it yet?"

Orbot snapped his fingers. "Well get it for you right away, sir!"

Minutes later, in the Doctor's control room, the recently re-christened doctor Ivo 'Egg-Fox' Robotnik finished adjusting his refitted uniform. Now clad in knee high boots, black pants, and red high collared jacket, the former human hopped into a chair and slipped opaque red goggles above his eyes. Wearing a maniacal grin, Robotnik stood tall (well, as tall as his new frame allowed) and set his fists on his hips.

"Oh yes!" The fox snickered, "Doctor Robotnik is back! Cubot, get a picture! I want this moment recorded for when the Egg-Fox Empire rules this gods-forsaken island!"

Cubot dutifully snapped a picture, while Orbot wiped away a tear and sniffed. 

"Oh..." The silver-red robot clasped his hands together, "It's moments like this that every family should savour..."

"Now then..." Eggman flopped onto his rump, gloved fingers dancing over his console, a leering grin beneath his red goggles, "Time to take care of important business!"

The computer screen lit up... displaying pink fluffy equines dancing around a meadow, a bright rainbow arching across a blue sky.

The doctor raised his hands and chirruped happily. "Cartoons!"

Orbot and Cubot hovered awkwardly as their master, now a child again, blissfully watched his programs.

"Uh... sir?" Orbot raised a finger, levitating forward slightly, "Are you sure watching this... _interesting_ program is a constructive activity?"

"Huh?" Yellow ears flicked and the doctor frowned at his lackey. "I thought you said play was important for a developing young mind?"

"Yes... but this is nonsense!" Orbot gestured at the screen, where brightly coloured creatures danced around squeaking in gibberish.

"Yeah! I feel stupider just looking at this stuff!" agreed Cubot.

The doctor wore an appalled expression as he looked between his subordinates. "But... I wanna watch cartoons!"

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't believe this is an appropriate use of our time..." Orbot floated to the console and switched off the screen, causing the doctor to squeak with outrage.

"No! Insolence!! What are you doing you infernal bucket of bolts?!"

"Carrying out your orders, sir..." Cubot replied sternly, hands on hips. "To keep you on track with your evil schemes to exact vengeance on Team Sonic!"

Robotnik huffed and crossed his arms. "Stupid me..." He sulked, "I never make you let me do anything fun!"

"Maybe you could continue working on your last project, boss?" Cubot said, "you know, the one you were working on before the whole mind... transfer... thingy?"

"Hmm... perhaps you're right..." The doctor hopped from his chair, twin tails beginning to rotate... and promptly smacked face first into the floor.

"Oh my! Are you okay, sir?"

Orbot and Cubot rushed to raise their master to his feet, while Robotnik rubbed his face. 

"Agh! How do these blasted things work?!"

"I'm sure you'll get it eventually, sir!" Encouraged Orbot, steadying the dazed fox. "You're still new at this!"

"Yeah! Plus the physics don't even make sense!" Added Cubot. "How do they even spin like that? Are they on a hinge? Why don't they get twisted up?"

"Stop questioning the mechanics of my butt before I melt you down and turn you into a toaster!" Robotnik growled, before releasing a dejected sigh. "I'm going to Meh burger... I could use something vaguely resembling food right now after that excuse for a breakfast you incompetents made!"

"I... don't believe Meh burger would make for a suitable meal..." Replied Orbot, "The nutritional value of their food is akin to that of an old boot fished from the bottom of a lake..."

"What? Are you saying I can't eat at Meh burger either?!"

"I'm sorry sir..." Orbot set his hands on hips, "But as per your instructions we are to provide you with a healthy lifestyle to assist in the proper development of your new body! That includes eating properly, maintaining a constructive activity regime, and an early bedtime!"

Robotnik clenched his fists and squeaked indignantly. "Why should I listen to you?! You're not even my real robot creations!"

Orbot slapped a hand to his chest. "Sir! That... is so hurtful!"

"And it literally makes no sense..." Added Cubot, "Since you, y'know... created us?"

"I hate you! You never let me do anything!!" The doctor carried on, "Well I'm leaving! I'm gonna eat a bazillion meh burgers!! And watch as many cartoons as I want!! And you can't stop me!!!"

The fox-ified doctor turned and angrily stormed from the room in a huff.

"Make sure you keep your communicator on so we check up on you!" Orbot called after him. The silver-red robot shook his head sadly as the main doors to the lair slammed shut. "They grow up so fast..."

"What, the middle aged mad scientists trapped in the bodies of eight year old humanoid foxes?" Cubot deadpanned, "yeah, they sure do..."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh yeah!" Sonic the hedgehog grinned smugly and folded his hands behind his head as he walked, a short way ahead if his dejected looking friends. "Team Sonic takes it over Team Tails and co again!"

"You have super speed..." Muttered his short younger brother, currently absorbed in the handheld device he clutched in both hands.

"Yeah!" Grumbled Sticks, hands shoved in the pockets of her olive combat pants, "Even with four of us, we can't compete with 'dat!"

"If you were a real man dude..." Knuckles added, the muscular echidna bringing up the rear of their party, "you wouldn't abuse your powers in the name of victory!"

Sonic smirked. "Hey guys, I can't help the way I am! Guess you just can't keep up with the fastest, most handsome and charming hedgehog on the face of the planet!"

"Agh, handsome and charming my..." Sticks mumbled something the censors wouldn't allow, kicking at a stone with her boot.

Sonic grinned happily, pleased with his decisive victory during the group's one on four soccer match. He glanced to his pink companion, who he may or may not have romantic relations with. "'Sup, Ames?" The hedgehog said cheerily, the female hedgehog appearing lost in thought, "you're quiet! Still smouldering that I didn't take it easy on ya?"

Amy appeared to snap out of her train of thinking, and shrugged. "Just thinking about Eggman..." She mused. "We haven't heard a peep out of him for a week straight! Its not usual for him to just go silent like this..."

Sticks released a snort of laughter "don't tell us 'yer worried about 'da crazy old coot?"

Amy shot the badger a look. "Hey, he's not so bad when you get to know him!"

"What, apart from the crazy schemes and weekly attacks on the village?" Replied Sonic, wearing an incredulous grin, "yeah, real swell guy!"

Amy pouted. "Maybe you should learn to give people a chance, Sonic!"

"Oh I'm happy to give old egg-stain a chance! A chance for another butt-wooping!"

"Guys, please..." Groaned Tails, looking away from his data pad, "can we not talk about Robotnik? It makes me... uncomfortable..."

Sonic slapped his younger foster brother on the shoulder. "Heh! What's there to feel uncomfortable about? The fact he's now stuck as an identical clone of you?"

"Yeah, believe it or not I think its a little disturbing."

Sonic chuckled. "Well I think its hysterical!"

Sticks grinned and hopped up beside her blue friend. "Did you see his face when he realised he was stuck like that?" The badger smiled mischievously, "man, I wish I trusted technology enough to own a camera so I could've snapped a picture!"

"Classic..." Grinned Sonic, the two trading a fist bump as they walked. "He's never, ever gonna live it down!"

Tails rolled his eyes as his older brethren bantered among themselves. "Yeah, well..." The fox muttered, eyes returning to his screen, "if I never see him again it'll be too soo- AGH!"

Tails squeaked in surprise as, not looking where he was going, he collided with another person walking in the opposite direction as they rounded the corner of a building. His device clattered to the ground, and he scrambled to retrieve it.

"Jeez, I'm sorry!" The fox stammered, retrieving his data pad, "I wasn't paying atten... tion..."

He trailed off as he looked up... and was met with his mirror image, clad in a red militaristic uniform and opaque goggles, staring at him in a similar state of surprise and confusion.

All was silent for a moment, before two identical twin-tailed foxes pointed at one another angrily.

_"YOU!!!_

_"YOU!!!_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tails hopped back from his doppelganger in disgust, clutching his device protectively.

"Ew!! He touched me!!"

"Well!" Sonic, hands on hips, eyed the new fox with amusement along with Sticks and Knuckles. "Speak of the devil! How's it going, _little buddy?_ what brings you out of your den?"

Robotnik clenched his fists petulantly, ears and tails involuntarily drooping under the scrutiny of his nemeses. "That's none of your business!"

"Actually, with the number of times you've attacked this village..." Replied the hedgehog, happily looking down upon his reconstituted arch enemy, "it kinda is?"

"Oh my gods!" Cooed Sticks, clasping her hands in mock adoration, "he's made himself a little outfit! Dat's so _pwecios!!!_ "

Before Robotnik could respond to the badger's teasing, Sonic vanished in a flash of blue, returning to his original position with a pair of goggles in hand.

Eggman, his face an exact copy of Tails' own, wore an expression of pure outrage. "Hey! Give those back!"

"What'd I tell ya, Knux?" The blue hedgehog nudged his large red companion in the arm, "uncanny, huh?"

Knuckles looked over the fox in fascination. "Woah..." The Echidna replied, looking between the doctor and his own small fox friend, "its like I'm seeing double!"

"You are, Knuckles..." Tails said through gritted teeth, eyeing the doctor with distaste, "that body is a clone..."

The echidna scratched his head. "What's that got to do with anything? "

Sonic tossed the goggles to Sticks as the fox-ified doctor lunged for them. The badger deftly caught the eyewear in one hand, grinning maliciously at the former human. 

"Come on, guys..." The doctor whined, suddenly appearing as the small orange fox-child they all recognised as Tails, "it's not funny!"

"Aww..." sticks teased, holding the goggles above her head, out of reach of the shorter fox, "does 'da foxy-woxy want his safety gogglies back?"

The doctor bared his teeth and pointed angrily at the taller badger. "Don't tempt me, you lunatic! I remember it's you who got me stuck like this!!"

"Wow!" Knuckles said, "Evil Tails is real cranky, huh?"

Two identical foxes shot the echidna with matching appalled looks, and spoke in unison...

"Don't call him that! He's nothing like me!"

"Don't call me that! I'm nothing like him!"

The two foxes started in shock, before glaring at one another in outrage. 

"Leave him alone, guys..." Amy snatched the goggles from Sticks' grasp and handed them to the doctor, who received them greedily. "He hasn't done anything... yet, at least..."

"I'm with Amy on this one..." Tails piped up, looking at the doctor as one might a large insect on their wall, "let's just leave..."

Sonic looked to his brother with bewilderment. "Seriously? Dude, if anyone should be mad at this guy, its you!" 

"Yeah, Sonic. Believe it or not, but its real awkward seeing him like... _this_..."

Robotnik seemed to deflate at the remark, goggles clutched defensively is his hands.

"I can't help the way I am..." Mumbled the doctor.

Amy clasped her hands together and whimpered with adoration, while Sticks made a sickened expression and Tails recoiled as though he had been spat at.

Sonic, meanwhile, wore a neutral expression. "Okay, egg-head..." The blue hedgehog softened and offered a questioning gesture, one hand extended and the other planted on his hip, "what are you doing just wandering around on your own?"

Robotnik pouted and crossed his arms. "Orbot and Cubot won't let me do anything!" The doctor complained, "They make me eat healthy, they won't let me watch cartoons, they even make me go to bed super early! Like, what even is that?! I'm an evil super genius!! Not a toddler! They're so uncool..."

There was a moment as Sonic, Sticks and Knuckles looked at one another incredulously... and then howled with laughter.

"Oh Gods!" Sticks slapped her knee, doubled over, "are mommy and daddy-bots being too hard on ya?"

Robotnik looked between the ridiculing mobians, fists clenching. "Stop laughing."

"Ah, jeez dude..." Sonic wiped a tear from his eye, "I'm sorry, that's just... so adorable!"

"Stop. Laughing."

"Come on, guys!" Amy, tired of her friends' immature behaviour, gestured around at them with irritation. "He's had enough!"

"Stop laughing!"

"This is the most awkward I've felt since the mayor awarded me that trophy of shame..." Said Tails bitterly.

"I don't know what were laughing about!" Chuckled Knuckles, "but I'm sure it's to do with Evil Tails over there! Everybody point and laugh at him!"

Hedgehog Village citizens obediently snapped into formation around the altered doctor, and began to ridicule him gleefully.

And that was it. In a wild rage, Robotnik pumped his fists and reared his head toward the sky... and released a comically high pitched wail.

"THAT'S IT!!!" cried the doctor, his face morphing into that familiar Eggman outrage, "I HAVE HAD IT!!!"

He began furiously tapping at his wrist-mounted computer, and Team Sonic watched on as a sonic boom erupted from the distance... and a flaming figure arched high through the air from Eggman's lair. In moments, a hyper fast blur slammed into the ground beside the doctor, skeletal frame of gleaming blue, rocket thrusters smoking, red eyes glaring coldly from a black visor.

"Prepare for your destruction!" Cackled Robotnik, "at the hands of my latest creation... Metal Sonic Mark Two!!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team Sonic stood watching as, like a corrupted mirror of Sonic and Tails themselves, Doctor Robotnik stood leering evilly beside his newest project.

"Metal Sonic Mark Two!!!" The doctor repeated, clenching a fist in villainous zeal, "Faster! Stronger!! SUPERIOR!!! Outfitted with hypercharged impulse thrusters, type-5000 multi-phasers, an enhanced positronic network..."

"METAL SONIC. ONLINE."

"... And he can talk now!"

Sonic and Tails looked their evil doppelgangers over... before the two brothers sighed in exasperation.

"Are you kidding, egg-face?" 

"This is... embarrassing..."

Eggman, the wind suddenly blown from his sails, cocked his head quizzically. "What's embarrassing? Why aren't you trembling in fear at your imminent demise?"

Sonic extended a hand. "Seriously, it's flattering and all, but are you _trying_ to be us?"

Robotnik quickly glanced between the hedgehog and his mechanical counterpart, before his fists pinned at his sides and he squeaked indignantly.

"Shut up!! I am not copying you!!!"

"Was it in your plan all along to turn yourself into a cheap imitation of Tails?" Sticks gestured distastefully at the doctor.

"I am not a cheap imitation!!! I am the smartest, most genius fox on this-"

"Woah-ho!" Interrupted Sonic, cupping one ear in a hand, "smartest most genius what now?"

Tails recoiled, nose crinkled. "I feel like my culture is being appropriated..."

"Hey, Evil Tails!" Called Knuckles, hands around his mouth, "stop violating Good Tails' furniture! That's not cool! And... Gross."

Robotnik screeched in fury and jabbed a gloved digit toward the heroes, slipping his goggles back over his eyes. "ENOUGH!!! METAL SONIC! MINIONS!! ATTAAACK!!!"

Metal Sonic boosted into the offensive as Eggman robots swarmed into the village, sending citizens fleeing for safety.

"Come on, Team!" Called Sonic, adopting a combat stance, "let's- oof!"

The blue hedgehog wheezed as, with speed that matched his own, Metal Sonic slammed into him like a battering ram. The two hedgehogs began trading blows, spin dashing into one another like billiard balls.

Around them, the other heroes began fighting off Badniks, while a red goggled fox hopped onto a nearby bench and cackled with glee.

"Yes! YES, my army!! Smash those infernal rodents into pulp! Today is the day my future empire will-"

The doctor was interrupted by the insistent bleeping if his wrist communicator. He grumbled and thumbed the device, recognising the caller I.d.

"What on Mobius do you want?!" He snarled, as Orbot's effeminate voice greeted him.

_"Just checking up on you, sir! You've been gone a short while! I was becoming worried! "_

"But Orbooot, I'm in the middle of an evil attack on the villaaaage!" 

_"Okay sir, but be back in time for dinner! I'm making tater tots! "_

"Ooh, tater tots!"

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sticks screeched a war cry as she lunged with her shock spear, violently impaling a Badnik in its armoured chest and sending a pulse of electricity through its systems. The bot stuttered and squealed static as it died, before she removed it from her weapon with a boot to the stomach.

The badger growled, searching for more bots to smash. Around her, Team Sonic desperately fought off the horde of attacking machines. 

Knuckles grabbed a motobug and rode it like a motorcycle, swinging a bee-bot by the tail like a club and battering surrounding robots into scrap.

Amy slammed her hammer into kill-crabs, turning them into mechanical pancakes.

Tails blasted them with some kind of infernal energy cannon that materialized around his arm, a targeting visor neatly fizzling into existence over his right eye. Clearly some kind of new invention of the child genius'.

Agh! Technology. The only reason she had built her shock spear was that it killed bots better.

The badger swiftly, with extreme precision, removed a hardened boomerang from her waist and threw it at a swarm of bee-bots, the trusty weapon knocking them out if the sky. She finished them off with lunges from her spear, reducing the buzzing interceptors to sparking junk.

She grinned. This is what the feral badger lived for!

Then her eyes fell upon a blue hedgehog... Face down in the dirt, his robotic doppelganger towering over him, ready to finish him off...

Sticks the badger raised her spear and, in a fit of rage, charged the metallic abomination.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Metal Sonic stood triumphantly over his struggling foe, the organic blue hedgehog having been too overwhelmed and distracted by the superior numbers of the Eggman forces, and outmatched by the refit robot's abilities.

Sonic shook dirt from his face and scrambled to his feet, breathing heavily as he stared down his mechanical double.

"I've beaten you a dozen times already!" grumbled the blue hedgehog, ruffled and filthy from the fight, "How are you so damn tough?"

Metal Sonic stepped forward, steel feet trampling the grass beneath. 

"I HAVE BEEN IMPROVED," the robot's artificial voice reverberated from a mouthless face, "I AM BETTER. FASTER. STRONGER. SUPERIOR TO YOU IN EVERY WAY." The bot lowered its visor and glared at the hedgehog with fiery red eyes. "YOUR DEMISE IS INEVITABLE. YOU CANNOT WIN THIS FIGHT."

Sonic's eyes flickered over Metal's shoulder, and back to the red orbs.

"Maybe I can't... but she might!"

Metal turned as a screeching battle cry reached his audio receptors from behind, readying himself to fight off further resistance...

He stopped. Froze. 

The robot knew he should fight. Knew he could react faster.

but he had never seen a female quite like the brown badger that leaped toward him with her teeth bared, head fur flowing, spear raised in attack.

The robot was confused. What was this... feeling... that flooded through his updated, yet unfinished systems?

whatever it was it stayed his hand long enough for the enraged badger to plunge her spear through his blue chassis. A harsh pulse of electricity lanced through his systems, causing him to sputter and shake like a prison inmate strapped to an electric chair... before the spear was harshly removed, and decapitated the robot with a sideways swipe.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"ERROR. ERROR. I CANNOT FEEL MY LEGS."

Doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik, at first so sure in his victory, now sat on his rump with the severed head of his proudest creation cradled in his lap, all six limbs slack and ears drooped as he looked sadly down at the sparking head of Metal Sonic Mark Two.

Team Sonic had finished off the remaining Badniks with little trouble, the fight now theirs after the decommissioning of Metal. The triumphant Mobians now stood over the sulking doctor, Sonic at their fore, hands on hips and a smug expression plastered over his blue and peach face.

"Well, egg-face..." said Sonic, "I'll give you an A for effort, but it seems like your new robot didn't quite make the cut!"

Robotnik, cradling Metal's head glumly, simply looked up at the hedgehog with big wet eyes.

"You... broke him..."

"Well if ya just played nice..." Sticks shouldered her spear and grinned, pleased with her work, "We wouldn't have ta break all ya toys now, would we?"

"Yeah! Laser-wielding battle robots are very dangerous for children of your age, Evil Tails!" added Knuckles, setting his hands on his hips and shaking his head sadly, "I've a good mind to talk to your parents!"

'Evil Tails' didn't respond, simply staring at what remained of his favourite creation.

Well, this was awkward. Normally Team Sonic could have expected Eggman to snark back at them after a defeat, the rambunctious villain always ready for a verbal spar with his sworn enemies...

Egg-fox just sat there, a dejected child clutching his broken toy.

"Well..." said Sonic, breaking the awkward silence, "Our work here is done! Who's up for a good old-fashioned victory meal at Meh Burger?"

The blue hedgehog was met with a chorus of agreeing voices... except for Amy, who raised an eyebrow at her blue companion.

"Guys, we can't just leave him here..."

Sonic guffawed, looking at his 'girlfriend' with bewilderment.

"Come on Ames, seriously? After all the crap this guy's put us through you feel sorry for him?"

"I'm just saying!" replied Amy defensively, clutching her hammer, "He looks so..." She eyed the small, sulking fox with pity. "So..."

"Pathetic?"

"Ridiculous?"

"Defeated?"

"Pitiful?"

Amy shook her head angrily as each of her teammates came up with a derogatory description for their beaten foe. 

"Hey, I said quit it, guys!"

Sonic shrugged. "Well Ames, if you wanna babysit old egg-sucker, go right ahead! We'll be getting stuffed, rewarding ourselves for our latest win!"

Amy bared her teeth and snarled at the male hedgehog. "Fine! See if I care, Sonic!"

Sonic recoiled and raised his hands defensively, "Okay, okay Ames! Whatever you say!"

"Guys, can we just get out of here?" Tails groaned, a sickened expression over his face as he looked at the identical copy of himself inhabited by the mind of their arch nemesis. "I... don't like being around him like _that_ …"

Sticks blew a raspberry (and made some rude gestures with her hands, that she could get away with here because this is in writing and not in visual medium), and Sonic shrugged at Amy as the rest of Team Sonic walked away in the heading of their favourite one-star restaurant.

Amy sighed, and looked back to the dejected fox she should have known better than to trust. Her hammer de-materialized back into thin air, and she began to walk over to the sulking yellow ball of fluff.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Don't worry..." the fox muttered, the severed head of Metal Sonic Mk II in his lap, "I'll fix you..."

"NEGATIVE. I CAN WALK HOME ON MY OWN." Replied the disembodied head, red eyed flicking around their visor. "WHERE... IS THE BADGER?"

"Huh? What d'you-"

The fox didn't get to finish his inquiry, as pink boots stopped before him.

"Hey..." Said Amy, looking down upon the yellow-orange figure, "What are you doing? just sitting there?"

The fox cocked his head and looked up at her with big blue eyes, for a moment looking just like the tiny cub she and her friends had known for years... before the scowl descended and the petulant tone returned.

"Why do you care?" Robotnik grumbled, "You think I'm a joke just like the rest!"

"Hey, I'm just trying to help here!" Amy screeched in defence.

The fox looked at her curiously. "Why? We're sworn enemies!"

"Well yeah... but once Fuzzy Puppy Buddies, Always Fuzzy Puppy Buddies, right?"

The Egg-fox seemed confused for a moment... before the scowl was replaced with a beam of joy.

"FPB bff's?"

"FPB Bff's!!"

The two Fuzzy Puppy Buddies, bonded by their love for the excessively cutesy board game, exchanged their secret Fuzzy Puppy Buddy shake, that was super complicated and filled with movements this author lacks the vocabulary to describe. Then they giggled and embraced into a quick hug, hostility forgotten.

"So..." Amy said, as they released their hug and Metal released a mechanical sigh of relief after being squished between them, "Why _are_ you just sat here like a lingering fart and not, y'know, retreating and hurling insults like you normally do?"

Eggfox crossed his arms and pouted.

"I didn't bring the Eggmobile…." he grumbled, "And... I don't wanna walk through town..."

Amy cocked her head, pink quills swaying with the motion. "Why?"

Yellow ears drooped and the altered doctor's eyes scanned the ground, twin tails wrapping around himself defensively. "I... don't want people to laugh at me..."

Amy frowned, bemused. "You're scared of people laughing at you? People ridicule you all the time! Why's this any different?"

The doctor didn't respond, gloomily staring at his feet.

Amy took a moment, looking over the pitiful sight, then sighed. "Would it help if I walked you home? People might leave you alone if they see you with Amy Rose!"

Robotnik looked as though he were about to argue, before his mouth flapped shut and he shrugged.

"Maybe..."

Amy smiled as she stood, offering a hand. "Okay, come on... let's get you..." her eyes set on the sparking head of Metal Sonic in the doctor's grip. "... two home..."

Amy led the once great Doctor 'Eggman' Robotnik by the hand, the former human trapped in the brain of an eight year old trailing sheepishly behind the taller hedgehog. Citizens of Hedgehog Village, emerging from their hiding places now the battle was over, stared curiously at the reconfigured doctor. But, true to Amy's word, none of them said a word as she led him out of the village.

"So..." hummed Amy, letting her companion's hand go when they left the village limits, "How are you... adjusting?"

The Egg-fox shrugged, kicking at a pebble. "Its getting easier... all except for this blasted brain!"

Amy looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean?"

"For all of my years of experience as a maniacal genius..." a gloved digit tapped at his head, "I'm stuck utilizing the brain of a child! It keeps making me... lapse into episodes of juvenile behaviour. Its quite humiliating."

Amy chuckled. "Well if it's any consolation, you're pretty cute!"

"Oh yes, because that's exactly the reputation and legacy I want!" Eggman huffed, before putting on a sickeningly sweet voice in mock cutesiness, _"Hewwo, I'm Doctor Wobotnik! The most adowabwl foxy-woxy in da whowe iwland!"_

Amy stopped and stared at him. "Oh. My. God. Do that voice again."

Blue eyes widened and Robotnik hopped back, jabbing a finger at the pink hedgehog. "Never!!!! I'm a dignified and respected maniacal supervillain, not a performing fox!"

Amy sighed. "Still going with the supervillain thing, huh?"

Robotnik shrugged. "What else am I supposed to do? Stick with what you're good at and all!

"Good? Eggman, you haven't won a single fight against us in years! We trash your robots all the time, and now you're stuck as an eight-year old fox exactly because your previous evil scheme backfired so badly!"

Robotnik looked as though he was about to argue, but remained silent. His ears drooped as he looked to the ground. 

"You have a chance to grow up all over again!" Amy continued, "Another shot at life! Maybe you should think about what you want to do with it?"

There was a low humming, and the pair looked toward the sky as Orbot and Cubot swooped low in the Eggmobile.

"Oh, solder my circuits, thank goodness!" exclaimed Orbot.

"What the heck are you two doing here?" Grunted Robotnik.

"You weren't answering your communicator, so we came looking for you! We were so worried!"

"I wasn't," said Cubot.

"You... were worried about me?" 

"Of course we were!" Orbot looked his ruffled master over, hands on hips. "Now lets get you home and give you a good bath! I have the special fur conditioner you asked for? That makes all the bubbles?"

Robotnik clenched his fists as Amy 'aww'ed, seemingly about to scold his minions... but then he appeared to consider for a moment, before his body went slack, arms slumped, and he began to trudge toward the Eggmobile.

"Okay..." he mumbled, gloomily looking back to the pink hedgehog. "Thanks, Amy..."

"No problem!" She waved cheerily. "And think about what I said, yeah?"

There was a moment of silence, before he finally answered. "Okay..."

With that, the Eggmobile raised on its grav thrusters, and took off over the ocean toward the mad doctor's evil lair.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robotnik didn't have the first clue how to use his new tails the way Miles Prower did. He had tried, but failed, miserably to fly. However, with a little ingenuity, the dextrous appendages made for a useful extra set of limbs with which to carry out his work. On the ends, tri-clawed metal hands clicked as they handed him tools and equipment while he worked on repairing Metal, who was currently lying on a workbench, his head being reattached to a spare body.

"Stupid Sonic..." the doctor muttered, face obscured by a welding mask, "Stupid Tails... they think they're so cool! Well they're not! They're just... a couple of jerks! All I want to do is cause chaos and destruction and conquer this island to strip it of its natural resources! And they think they can just go around destroying my heavily armed battle robots? The nerve!"

The fox stepped back and raised his mask, handing the welding torch to his leftmost tail. He set his hands on his hips and grinned in satisfaction as he looked over the repaired bot. "Well, Metal? Better?"

The robot raised himself into a sitting position on the workbench and flexed his arms, red eyes looking over his new body. 

"AFFIRMATIVE," Sonic's mechanical double replied, "ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING AT FULL CAPACITY. THANK YOU, LITTLE BUDDY."

Robotnik slumped. "Ugh, not you too..." the former human climbed onto the workbench and sat glumly beside his latest creation. "Maybe I should have done more work on you before sending you into action... guess I screwed that up as well, huh?"

Metal Sonic Mark Two didn't reply, simply staring into space with glowing red eyes as Orbot and Cubot floated into the workshop.

"Hello, Sir!" hummed Orbot, happily clutching a drinks carton with a smiling cow's face plastered over it, "We brought you your chocolate milk!"

Robotnik glumly retrieved the carton from the robot, clutching it in both hands as he sipped the sweet chocolatey drink. "Thank you, Orbot..."

Cubot cocked his head and tapped Orbot on the shoulder. "What did he say?"

"I think he said... thank you?"

Cubot blinked, optics whirring. "What does that mean?"

"Sir, are you feeling okay?" Orbot inquired as the doctor absently stared through the floor, "You haven't threatened us once since you returned home!"

Robotnik shrugged, milk pasted around his mouth. "Just... something Amy said to me before you picked me up. Got me thinking."

"What, that you should totally be nicer to Orbot and Cubot?" Cubot said.

"Don't be... ridiculous, you... fool..." the doctor replied half-heartedly, lacking the motivation to even abuse his minions enthusiastically. He appeared to think for a moment, before removing his goggles and looking to the two robots with big blue eyes. "Be honest with me... am I... a good evil supervillain?"

Orbot and Cubot remained utterly still and silent for a few awkward seconds.

"When you say _good_ …" Orbot squirmed, "Could you define-"

"Forget it..." grumbled Robotnik, grumpily clutching his milk. "Maybe she was right... maybe I'm not cut out for being a maniacal super-genius mastermind..."

"Yeah, sounds about r-"

Cubot was stifled as Orbot slapped his hands over the yellow bot's mouth. 

"Nonsense, sir!" Orbot nervously chirped, "Anyone would be foolish to think such things!"

"Yeah well... maybe I'm a fool..." The doctor shuffled from the workbench and hopped to the floor, unhappily trudging from the workshop. "I'm going to bed..."

The robots watched as their master left, posture slumped and tails trailing behind him. 

"Uh... remember to brush your teeth!" Orbot called after him, before fiddling nervously with his hands. "I'm very worried about Doctor Eggman, Cubot… there appears to be something very wrong with him..."

"What, you just noticed?"


	4. The Destiny of Evil Tails

Orbot hummed happily as he cooked, hot pans sizzling on the stove filled with the breakfast he was making for the doctor. 

"Eggs, whites only..." the robot cheerily said, "hash browns... cooked to perfection! And a little spinach, just a tad of salt for flavour... do you think this will suffice?" 

At the kitchen table, obscured by a copy of Mechanoid Media Monthly (Daily), Cubot shrugged with yellow shoulders.

"Meh. I don't know why you bother! Just give the kid some of that crappy cereal, Choco Chimps or whatever. Like he'll care."

Orbot turned and set his hands on the gyro that passed as his 'hips', and glared at his boxy companion. "Excuse me for trying to raise our maniacal overlord on a healthy diet! As though you would know what that meant!"

The newspaper dropped and Cubot looked to his spherical red counterpart. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't think I haven't noticed!" Orbot snapped, "You spending every night at the Nitro-Glycerine dispensers with Obliteratorbot! "

"Hey, after a full day of janitorial duties, I need to let off a little steam, okay? You get to just fart around and deal with that kid, while I do all the dirty work! I-"

The two robots were interrupted in their pseudo-domestic bickering (The joke is they're like mom and dad, right? You get it), as a weary cough came from the entrance to the lair's galley. In the doorway, a very ruffled yellow (Or orange, your preference) fox sleepily rubbed his eyes, ears drooped as he surveyed his arguing minions.

Orbot nudged Cubot's arm. "We'll talk about this later..." He hissed, before turning to his master and clasping his hands together cheerfully. "Good morning sir! You're up early! Are you hungry?"

Robotnik grubbily blinked his eyes and nodded slowly. "Uh huh..."

The two robots levitated still for a moment. No shouting. No snarky response. Weird.

"Well..." continued Orbot, "I... made your breakfast? I was just about to bring it to your bedroom, but I suppose if you like you could eat it at the table?"

The fox simply blinked, before gloomily trudging to the breakfast table. "Yeah... that's fine..."

Orbot happily retrieved the pans and carefully spilled the contents onto a plate, while Robotnik clumsily set himself on a chair, climbing onto the cushions he now needed to be above eye-level with his own human proportioned table. The silver-red robot hovered over to his master, breakfast in hand.

"Look Sir! Fried egg-whites, with perfectly cooked hash browns and a little spinach on the side! I know you don't normally like spinach but I-"

"No, it's okay..." Robotnik mumbled, cutting off the robot, "Thanks..."

Orbot and Cubot exchanged glances. 

Robotnik ate his breakfast in silence, no complaints, no tantrums... unusual for the former human.

"Sir?" enquired Orbot carefully, "Are you feeling alright?"

Robotnik nodded before looking at his minion with big blue eyes. "Orbot? Can I have a chocolate milk?

The robots froze. Their short (heh) tempered master had... asked permission for something?

"Uhh… of course, sir!" Orbot swiftly hovered over to the fridge and retrieved a carton of 'Udder Goodness' cocoa milk, before handing it to his creator. "There you are, sir!"

Robotnik took the carton and began glumly supping the sweet dairy drink. He sat in silence as Orbot and Cubot eyed him through curious optical units.

"So..." Orbot said, in an attempt to break the uncomfortable silence, "I am planning on baking a butterscotch-cinnamon pie for tonight! I couldn't remember which one you preferred, so I thought-"

"No..." muttered Robotnik, setting his drink back on the table. "That's alright... you don't have to bother..."

"Wh... what do you mean, sir?"

Robotnik slowly climbed onto his chair and set his hands behind his back, unaware of the dark chocolate stain around his white muzzle.

"Orbot… Cubot… I have an announcement to make..."

The silver-red robot hovered forward slightly, attention fixed, while the yellow bot lowered his magazine slightly.

"It has come to my attention, with recent... events..." The doctor continued, solemn eyes looking over his henchmen, "After much contemplation..."

Cubot looked to Orbot questioningly.

"Lots of brain-thinky stuff," Orbot translated for his less intellectually inclined comrade.

"...that I am not made for being an evil genius mastermind..." Robotnik continued, bringing a gasp from Orbot and a shrug from Cubot.

"Sir! That's..." Orbot said, "Nonsense! You are the most terrible, most evil, most conniving villain to ever grace this land!"

"No..." replied the fox, "After decade of evil deeds... many many years of villainy... I have exactly zero accomplishments to my name... it seems that being a supervillain is simply not my niche..." The doctor blinked sadly and shifted his feet on the chair-cushions, eyes flickering over the table before looking back up, filled with determination. 

"so I have decided..." Robotnik said, "To retire my career of super-villainy… and leave this place in search of my true calling."

Orbot gasped. Cubot looked nonplussed.

"You're... you're leaving us, sir?

Robotnik nodded. "Yes. I am going to head out on my own... leave this life behind... and search for my true destiny. I have a whole new life ahead of me, I must discover what I am truly made for in this world..."

"Sounds good to me!" Said Cubot, before being nudged in the 'ribs' again by Orbot.

"Well... Sir?" Said Orbot, pleadingly, "If that's what you want... as your incompetent minions, we will support you in whatever decision you make! Isn't that right, Cubot?"

"Yeah, sure..." A disinterested Cubot replied from behind his newspaper.

"And we will, of course, be willing to assist you through every step of the way!" said Orbot, hovering over to his master's side, "Whatever it is you decide to do!"

"Hey!" added Cubot, "Since when did you speak for both of us? What are you, my wife?"

"For comedic purposes at this present time, yes."

Robotnik shook his head. "No... I must depart on this journey of self-discovery myself...." He looked down to his mechanical lackeys sadly, "And if I am to find my true purpose in life... I must do it alone."

Orbot and Cubot stared at their master for a brief moment.

"We... understand, sir..."

Robotnik hopped from his chair and clasped Orbot on the shoulder.

"Thank you for offering to join me..." the doctor said, "But I must do this alone..." the fox turned and snapped his fingers to the kitchen doorway. "Come on, Metal... Let's go!"

With a grumpy bleep, the rebuilt Metal Sonic Mark Two clanked into the kitchen, lugging a comical number of suitcases and packs.

"Alone, huh?" deadpanned Cubot, "Yeah, sure..."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well then..." said Robotnik, stood outside the armoured main entrance to his lair, "I suppose this is it..."

Before him, gathered in assembly, his entire defensive force of badniks were assembled, Orbot and Cubot at their fore as Robotnik and Metal Sonic Mark Two prepared to leave the small rock they called home. 

"I suppose the lair belongs to you now, boys..." Robotnik, now utterly stripped of his evil uniform and wearing simply a pair of boots and red goggles, ceremonially dropped the control keys to his beloved lair into the hands of Orbot, who looked at the key with robotic tears in his eyes.

"Will you... come back one day, sir?" the robot asked, artificial voice quivering.

Robotnik seemed to consider, before setting his jaw in the manner of a protagonist about to embark on a journey of self-discovery.

"One day..." The former doctor replied, "When I have grown... matured... one day, I shall return, a new fox... enlightened... my eyes opened..." Robotnik stood straight and offered his silver-red spherical lackey a hand. "I just want you to know... you two were the worst, most incompetent, most bumbling minions an evil genius could have asked for..."

Orbot accepted the handshake, as did Cubot.

"Oh... thank you, sir..."

"Eh, I kinda knew that already..."

Robotnik stepped back, considering the robot army that was once his, and lowered his red goggles over his eyes.

"Every fox has to fly the coop some day..." he said, one-hundred percent serious, "I suppose it's my time now..."

"Wait, what?"

"Shush, you're ruining the moment!"

Robotnik clambered onto the shoulders of Metal Sonic Mark Two and looked back to his much-abused, unbeloved robots.

"Goodbye..." he whispered, for dramatic effect, "Let's go, Metal..."

"AFFIRMATIVE." Replied Metal Sonic Mark Two, "LIFTOFF IN THREE... TWO... ONE..."

With a blast from his super-impulse thrusters, Metal Sonic Mark Two erupted from the black rock of Eggman Isle in a stream of jet-smoke, the terrified wailing of his passenger just audible over the sound of rocket thrust as the mechanoid soared into the sky.

"Oh..." Orbot wiped a tear (Because Robots can totally cry in the Sonic Boom! universe, seriously) from his optical unit. "Farewell, young one...." the bot tore his gaze away from the arching smoke trail that spelled the departure of his former master, and turned to his boxy yellow companion. "Do you.... think we'll ever see him again, Cubot?"

"I give him a week..." replied the yellow robot, "And that's being generous." The (apparently) dim-witted robot turned to the assembly of robots sat in formation outside Robonik's former lair, and raised his hands in the air, "Now who wants to get the nitro-glycerine out and GET SMASHED?!?"

A chorus of mechanical cheers rang out, and Orbot palmed his face.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ugh, Sticks..." groaned Amy, shopping bag dangling in the crook of an ebow, "When I said you needed a new outfit, I meant you should get something more... flattering?"

Sticks the badger popped a bubble of gum from her lips and frowned at the pink hedgehog beside her as they ambled through the lazy Hedgehog Village. "What? You said I should get something that reflects my personality!" The badger gestured at the camouflage combat pants and black tank top she currently wore, stomping her army boots indignantly into the ground, "So I did!"

Amy adjusted her sunglasses and straightened her brand new yellow dress. "Yes, but what I meant was something more... feminine?"

"Hey, you have ta' be prepared! Ya' never know when the next world war is around the corner, afta' all..."

Amy sighed and shook her head. "I never took you for the crazy soldier type, Sticks..."

"Hey!" Sticks screeched, clenching her fists, "I ain't no soldier! Soldiers take orders! Sticks the badger don't take no orders from nobody!"

"Welcome to Meh Burger! Can I take your order?"

The two girls stopped at the counter of their favourite 0-star burger joint, and wore incredulous expressions as a familiar yellow and white furry face beamed at them from behind the till.

Amy and Sticks glanced at each other, before turning back to their fluffy orange host.

"Uh... Tails?" Amy enquired, raising her sunglasses, "What are you doing working at Meh Burger?"

The fox, clad in the mass-produced shirt and cap uniform of the (unprecedentedly) popular fast food chain, shuffled awkwardly and adjusted his cap. "Uh... I'm not Tails..."

There was a moment of silence, before Amy raised her hand to her mouth in astonishment and Sticks recoiled backward like an angry snake.

"E..." Amy said, "Eggman?"

The fox nodded timidly. "Yeah... I guess you would mistake me for _him,_ huh?"

Amy briefly looked to Sticks, who maintained a crouched combat stance upon a nearby table, before looking back to the small yellow fox behind the counter.

"Uh... Doctor Eggman? What are you doing working here?"

The fox raised his hands defensively and wore a pleading expression.

"Hey, don't worry! I'm not performing some deceptively dastardly deed or trying some curiously cunning counterfeit!" The fox shrugged his shoulders, 'aww shucks' like, "I'm just trying to sell chemical compounds that apparently pass as food!"

Amy raised an eyebrow. "You're doing what now?"

Robotnik sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Well, after that little conversation we had yesterday... I've retired from the supervillain trade! You were right, Amy... I'm a terrible villain! And I mean terrible as in 'really not good at this', as opposed to 'menacing and ruthless'..."

Amy cocked her head as Sticks hopped down beside her, eyeing the fox without trust. "You... aren't a supervillain any more?"

The fox nodded. "Nope! So I've gone out on my own, on a self-introspective journey to find my true purpose in life!"

"And Meh Burger was your first choice?"

"Hey, the fast food industry is a lot like being a supervillain!" the fox said, raising a hand and counting off digits. "Takes up most of your life, Little to no reward, nobody respects or appreciates you... I'm pretty much there already!"

"Yeah well... I don't trust this guy!" Sticks growled, while Amy nudged her arm pointedly.

"Well, that's great!" replied the pink hedgehog, "I hope it all works out for you!"

"There's a whole world of opportunities for a genius and ambitious young fox such as myself!" the buffoonish former doctor replied, pulling out a notepad. "Anyway, what do you want?" 

Amy placed her order, as did a begrudging Sticks, Robotnik scribbling in his Hello Doggy notebook.

"You sure that's not too complicated for you?" mocked Sticks, hands on hips as she glared at the smaller fox.

Robotnik grinned slyly. "Not at all! Check this out!"

He hopped from the stool he needed to see over the counter, and gestured toward a boxy contraption, beside which stood Metal Sonic Mark Two, clad in the same shirt and hat combo of the Meh Burger franchise. The robot released a pre-recorded 'Ta-da' fanfare from his vocal units, unenthusiastically presenting the machine like a game show assistant demonstrating a prize.

Sticks screeched defensively as she laid eyes on the robot, who awkwardly shuffled his feet, glowing red eyes averting hers.

"The Repli-Burger 3000" Robotnik beamed deviously, "Capable of instantly replicating any item of food from the simplest of raw materials! Even dirt!"

"Actually, Meh burger products are thirty-seven percent dirt in the first place..." Dave, the eternal intern of the mediocre fast food restaurant, passed by with a broom and a disinterested demeanour, "So that's nothing new..."

Robotnik briefly glared at the lanky nutria, before slipping his goggles over his eyes and turning to his machine. "Behold!"

He punched codes into the Repli-Burger 3000, hopping back as the machine hummed into life, vibrating as bright white light flashed from inside. As though he were retrieving cookies from the oven, Robotnik opened the machine and produced a tray of Meh burgers and fries, a couple of shakes, as perfect (if that word could be applicable to Meh burger products) as if they were the real thing.

A bored Metal Sonic repeated his fanfare at a nudge from his creator.

"Voila!" Robotnik leered triumphantly, "Your orders, perfectly constructed in record time!"

"Wow, Eggman!" said Amy, as the food was deposited on the counter before her, "That's really impressive!"

Robotnik set his fists on his hips. "With this baby, I'll be a formidable fast-food fat-cat in no time!"

Sticks sniffed cautiously at the replicated food, black nose twitching. "Y'know, egghead..." she said, pinching a fry between her claws, this doesn't look half bad!"

"Good for you, Eggman!" Amy cheerfully held her burger in both hands, "You finally found something you're good at!"

The pink hedgehog went to take a bite... and paused as the burger appeared to wobble. She cocked her head and the present company eyed it quizzically, as the food began to pulsate... before it erupted into a writhing purple mass of flesh and tentacles and swivelling eyes and snapping mouths.

Amy screeched and threw the mutated burger to the floor, and all around the restaurant other customers did the same as their meals exploded into writhing Lovecraftian horrors.

"Hmm..." Robotnik rubbed his chin thoughtfully and frowned behind his goggles, "Maybe it was a mistake building the Burger-nator out of my transmogrification chamber..."

"I already ate mine!" one patron screamed, "What's gonna happen to m-"

The buffalo's speech became a gurgling wail of horror as, just like the corrupted food, he morphed into a writhing mass of limbs and eyeballs, mouths splitting over his flesh and snapping with vicious teeth.

Amy and Sticks glared at Robotnik, who shrugged.

"Oh well, nothing a little tune-up can't solve!" The fox replied, "Just give me five..."

he trailed off as a throat cleared behind him, and turned to find Dave the intern... and the manager, glaring down at him.

"You're fired," the manager growled, before Robotnik could say a word.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Well, the fast food industry may not be my true destiny..." mumbled Robotnik, stroking the ragged edges of his white muzzle, "But the library? Perfect for an intellectual such as myself!"

"UH-HUH," Metal replied absently, mouthless face resting in one hand as he slumped in a chair. Apparently the unfinished robot had something on his mind. Robotnik shrugged it off. His most recent creation might display some unexpected behaviours... but part of being a genius was surprising yourself, right? It wasn't as though the former doctor had ever created robots that could express complex feelings and emotions before, right?

Hmm. He briefly wondered how Orbot and Cubot were getting on without him.

Again, the egg-fox shrugged. Not important. He had a job to do!

Every shelf in the library had been stripped of its contents for a deep clean, and it was now the newest employee of Hedgehog Village Libarby (The sign was misspelled)'s duty to restack them all.

Normally it would be a long and tedious job... 

"That is," Robotnik said, continuing the last sentence, "If it weren't for the genius engineering of the Stack-inator 4000!"

Beside him, a very large container filled with books trailed a long flexible hose, attached to a long-barrelled device clutched in Robotnik's claws. He slipped his goggles back over his eyes and leered that classic Eggman grin, hefting the comically oversized invention like a machine-gun.

"Time to revolutionise the... bookshelf stacking... industry..." The fox said uncertainly. "There is absolutely no way this can go wrong!" He glanced over his furry yellow (or orange) shoulder and grinned at Metal. "Metal Sonic Mark Two! Prepare to activate the Stack-inator 4000!!"

Metal Sonic gloomily hefted his steel form into the control chair of the mad invention, and tapped at the control panel.

"READY TO FIRE, CREATOR..."

Robotnik aimed and cackled. "OPEN FIRE!!!!"

A clawed index finger clamped down on the trigger of the device... and books began spitting from the barrel like hardbacked bullets. Instead of neatly slotting into their assigned positions on the shelves before him, books smashed through the wooden shelves and through the walls, through the ceiling, through the floor, smashing surrounding furniture to bits as hyper-velocity projectiles made their impact. The fox squealed as he wrestled against the recoil, and libarby-goers screamed as they ran for cover among the dust and splinters.

_"METAL! TURN IT OFF!! TURN IT OOOOOFFF!!!"_

Metal Sonic Mark Two frantically tapped at the controls, without success, before releasing a mechanical sigh. He hopped from the control chair and, with his enhanced machine strength, punched into the guts of the machine and tore out the wires. 

Dust settled and all went quiet as the machine sputtered to a stop, Robotnik breathing heavily after his exertion fighting the wayward invention.

Libarby patrons slowly crawled from their hiding places, taking note of the destruction around them.

"What on Mobius was th-a-a-at?" Said Goat Lady.

"I thought libarbies were supposed to be _quiet?!_ " said Old Monkey.

"Cthgluggthsmgtkaltuuu?" Said the former mobian who had became a Lovecraftian monstrosity.

"Well..." said Robotnik, scratching behind a triangular ear while the other drooped against his head, "That... could have gone better... who knew converting a hyperblaster into a device that launched reading material at extremely high velocities could have produced such collateral damage inducing results?"

His ears fully flattened and he winced as a throat cleared behind him, and Robotnik turned to find the beaver manager of the libarby, hands on hips, glowering at him.

His shoulders slumped. "I know, I know... I'm fired..."

"Your employment is no longer tolerated at this libarby," the beaver replied.

"You know the sign is misspelled, right?"

"Get out."

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Zooey the Vixen hummed happily as she cashed up the day's earnings, sorting paper notes and coins into their assigned places behind the counter of her small shop. There was still work to be done, cleaning and other miscellaneous duties, but as the only hand left at the store it would be another couple of hours until she was done.

Still, she had a date with Tails tonight. That kept her mind from the tedium of finishing another work day.

The vixen locked her earnings in a secure safe in the back, and headed back out into the shop floor.

She jumped, startled, as a familiar orange figure stood before her, smiling expectantly.

"Oh, hi Tails!" She giggled, feeling herself blush, "I didn't expect you to come round so ear..."

She faltered as her eyes took in the goggles, the alien leer pasted over the fox's face... and the mobianoid blue robot that stood beside him, tapping at a data pad without interest.

"...rly..." she trailed off, smile fading as she realised who this was. "Doctor Eggman…" Word had gotten around town quickly at the doctor's recent disposition, Sonic and his friends happily telling whoever they could to maximise the humiliation. She set her hands on her hips and eyed the pair of evil Sonic and Tails clones with suspicion. "What do you want?"

Robotnik clasped his hands and leered unnervingly, pointed teeth baring and eyes glinting beneath the red goggles. "Actually, it's not 'Doctor' any more..." he said, Tails' voice eerily spilling from Tails' mouth in a facsimile of the former human's, "And... well, I'll be honest, toots..." 

Zooey bristled, uncomfortable in his presence.

"... I've given up the whole Supervillain thing!" continued Robotnik, hands writhing together, "Turned over a new leaf! I have decided to go out on my own and discover my true destiny!"

Zooey frowned, folding her arms. "Well, that's great and all, but why are you _here?_ "

Robitnik appeared to deflate at the vixen's hostile tone. "Hey, I know I look identical to your little boyfriend, but I'm here for totally none-creepy legitimate reasons! Honest!"

Zooey considered for a moment, before shifting her weight onto the other foot and sighing "Okay Eggman… what do you want?"

"Well," replied the fox, "I need a job! Good, old-fashioned, character-building work! To help me find my true calling! And your shop was the first place I thought of!"

"Uh-huh, and why's that?"

"I've been fired from everywhere else in town."

Zooey raised an eyebrow. "Oh. So what makes you think my dad's going to employ _you?_ "

The fox's shoulders slumped, before he raised his goggles and looked pleadingly at her with Tails' big adorable puppy-dog eyes.

"Oh, please!" The former doctor whined pathetically, "I'm on a journey of self-discoveryyyyyyy! I need to find my true purpose in liiiiiiiiiiiiiifffeeeeeee!!!"

Zooey looked on, slightly disturbed at the yellow fox who was identical to her boyfriend in appearance but not in behaviour, and considered. The doctor had threatened the town so many times... had almost killed her with one his massive robot creations....

But still. Everyone deserved a second chance.

"Okay..." The vixen replied, scratching her chin, "I suppose we could use somebody to help sweep the yard..."

Robotnik's ears perked and his eyes lightened up. "You mean you'll give me a job?"

"A _trial..._ " Zooey replied, setting her hands back in her hips. "Sweep my yard, do a good job... and maybe I'll ask my dad to consider taking you on..."

Robotnik's back straightened and he offered a brisk salute. "Yes ma'am!"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"That's the way, Metal!" Robotnik called, sipping at a carton of juice while reclining on a deck chair he'd discovered in the shop's yard. "Put your servos into it!"

Metal Sonic Mark Two offered a bleep of irritation as he swept the yard, dejectedly waving the broom back and forth. Robotnik blissfully leaned back and took another sup of juice through its straw, one hand behind his head. "Ah... who knew manual labour could be so relaxing? I don't know what these underpaid, overworked, unappreciated minimum-wage workers keep complaining about!"

"Uh... what the heck is this?"

Robotnik's ears perked and he craned his neck to find Zooey, hands on hips, glaring at him with one brow raised.

He frowned and checked his juice carton. "Blackcurrent, I think..." 

Zooey bristled. "I mean... why is Metal Sonic doing your job?"

Robotnik scratched his head and looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean?"

"I mean..." continued the vixen, "Why aren't you doing your job?"

Robotnik just stared at her incredulously. "... well why bother having a hyper-advanced battle robot around if not to perform manual labour for you?"

"Well I'm not paying Metal, am I?" Zooey responded, "If Metal wants the job, I'll pay him instead! do you want the job, Metal?"

Metal Sonic Mark Two stood and shrugged. "NEGATIVE. I DO NOT REQUIRE PAYMENT. I SIMPLY REQUIRE...." The robot appeared to zone out for a moment, clutching the broom limply, "STICKS..."

Robotnik ignored the bot and frowned as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... you want me to do the work, huh? Okay! Just give me a few minutes to put together some kind of brush-inator 5000, and I can-"

"Use this..." Zooey retrieved the broom from Metal Sonic Mark Two, and shoved it into Robotnik's hands. The fluffy orange fox looked appalled as he eyed the tool. 

"But..." he whimpered, bewilderment in his blue eyes, "but..."

Zooey softened as he suddenly resembled the other fox she had claimed as her boyfriend. "I'm giving you a chance here Eggman. Don't waste it, okay?"

Robotnik looked as though he were about to argue, but instead nodded timidly. "Okay..."

"Right then!" Zooey smiled, turning and heading back into her shop. "I'll give you half an hour. If you do a good enough job... maybe I'll consider giving you other duties."

He watched as she disappeared back inside the building, and slumped his shoulders as he cast his eyes over the large, dusty yard.

"Well..." he huffed, gripping his broom like a musket, "It's juts a little sweeping. How hard can it be?"

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aaaagh! this is the hardest I've ever worked in my life!!"

The doctor clasped his hands to his back, tails arching as he stretched and grimaced beneath the red goggles. 

"How do people _do_ this?! It's practically slave labour!! I feel like my spine is about to break apart!!"

Metal Sonic Mark Two didnt' respond, simply sat in his creator's previous position in the deck chair, awkwardly clutching the juice carton in one hand.

"Hey egghead! Getting on okay there?"

Robotnik whipped around, ears perked at the sudden voice, eyes falling on a blue hedgehog wearing a smug grin and another yellow fox looking at him like a huge, ugly spider he just wanted to squish.

Robotnik huffed, setting one end of the broom on the ground as he raised his goggles. "I'm doing fine, _thank you very much!!_ "

Tails scowled and glared at his double. "What are you doing here, Robotnik?"

"Performing a rendition of Viv La Casino Zone. What does it look like I'm doing?!"

"I meant..." Tails snapped back, "What are you doing round my _girlfriend?_ "

Robotnik glared defensively at the other fox, his eyes a perfect copy of Prower's own thanks to his body's cloned state. "I'm working! She's the only one in town left who will employ me! Everybody else fobbed me off for... some reason!"

"Yeah, I heard about that... you know people have been blaming _me_ for _your_ screw ups? Thanks a lot, egg-face!"

"Up yours, Fails!"

"Okay, children..." Sonic chuckled, enjoying himself as he watched the two identical foxes bicker back and forth, "That's enough..." The blue hedgehog, a full head taller than either of the fluffy canines, stepped in and seperated them. He set his hands on his hips as he observed Robotnik with amusement. "So, egghead! I hear you're out of the supervillain business!"

Robotnik clutched his broom defensively and grinned at the taller hedgehog. "That's right!" he leered, the classic Eggman expressions alien on the cloned face of Miles Prower, "I've cast aside my old life as a failing evil mastermind, in search of my true calling! Isn't that right, Metal?"

"SURE. AFFIRMATIVE."

Sonic and Tails jerked at the artificial voice, having not even noticed the utterly still robot reclining in the chair, confusedly looking at the juice he held in a steel hand.

"Oh great, it's bolt-brain..." Sonic muttered, eyeing his mechanical doppelganger with contempt, "What's he doing here, eggface?"

"Metal Sonic Mark Two is assisting me on my journey!" Squeaked the former doctor, before frowning at his creation. "Although he seems a little... out of it, lately. My creations aren't usually so unfocused..."

"Yeah, because your other robots are always _so_ effective..." snarked Tails.

"What was that?" Robotnik countered, one hand cupping an ear, "Any more of your inventions gone haywire, _Fails?_ I vaguely remember stepping in to save your fuzzy butt on more than one occasion, when you combined yourself with a bee-bot, or split yourself into a hundred half-wit copies, or-"

"Okay, I said enough!" Sonic, his patience thinning as he eyed his mechanical double, forcefully separating the foxes as they angrily approached one another. Eggman and Tails had always traded snarks, but this was beginning to give him a headache.

"What's going on?"

All three males, and the blue robot, turned to find Zooey stood observing the bickering with an eyebrow raised. "Oh, hi Tails."

"Hi!"

"Hi!"

there was a sudden pause as, in unison, both identical yellow foxes answered. Everyone in the vicinity looked to Robotnik with incredulous expressions, except for Tails, who glared at him with venom.

"Uh, what the hell, egg-face?" Tails yelped, fixing the former doctor with a look of absolute contempt, "Are you _trying_ to creep me out even more?"

Robotnik glared back defensively. "Hey, this is confusing! I've had a stressful day! Don't judge me!!"

"O... kaaaay…" Zooey continued, looking over the swept yard. "Well Eggman, you seem to have done a good job... how about you come round again tomorrow? I might have some more work for you!"

Robotnik tilted his head in disbelief. "You... think I did good?"

The vixen gestured over the yard. ""Well, it's clear isn't it? If you're really intent on changing... I'll give you the chance. So come back tomorrow and I'll find something for you to do." he turned her attention to the other fox. "So Tails, are we still on for that date?"

Tails blushed and shuffled his feet, bringing a derisive snort from Robotnik. "Uh... yeah! Sure, Zooey!" he then turned to glare at the other fox beside him. "And just to be clear, she means me? Not the creepy old fart trapped in an identical clone of me?"

Robotnik scowled and grimaced at the fox he had stuck himself resembling, but said nothing.

"Great!" Chirped Zooey, grabbing Tails' hand and pulling him away, "Ooh, come on! I wanna show you my new outfit!"

"Uh... coming?" Tails looked back helplessly to his older brother as the vixen dragged him inside, "Um... se you later, Sonic!"

"Sure thing, bro!" Sonic replied, he and Robotnik watching the two foxes disappear inside the building. 

"Did you hear that?" squeaked Robotnik, looking up at the blue hedgehog and hopping excitedly, "She actually said I was good at something!"

"Yeah..." muttered Sonic, awkwardly looking down at the mirror image of his brother, "So... what was all that about? Did you actually think you were Tails for a moment?"

The fox's face scrunched and he clenched his fists. "No! I just got confused is all! I'm a hundred times the genius fox that brat ever could be!"

"Uh-huh, sure you are buddy..."

"anyway..." Robotnik grinned and looked to his mechanical companion. "Did you hear, Metal? I have a job! We'll be able to pay rent now! I'm so independent!"

Metal Sonic bleeped neutrally, fiddling with the abandoned juice carton.

Sonic frowned. "Rent, huh? so you found somewhere to stay?"

Robotnik's grin faltered and he scratched his head. "Uh... actually, come to think of it, it must have slipped my mind to find lodgings in the village..." sheepishly, the former human clasped his hands and looked up at his former nemesis with big puppy-dog eyes. "Say, can a... former evil genius crash on your couch for a few days?"

Sonic set his hands on his hips and wore a welcoming smile.

"Absolutely not! I still remember the last time, egg-for-brains!" the hedgehog replied, causing yellow ears to droop. He rubbed at his chin thoughtfully. "But I think I know someone who might be up for that..."

Minutes later, Amy Rose answered her door to find two blue hedgehogs, one spiny and organic, the other gleaming metal, stood outside with a small yellow fox sheepishly clutching his red goggles in both hands.

Amy sighed in resignation. "What's going on now..."


	5. The Return of Evil Tails

Unbeknownst to the gang, an intruder had been covertly listening to the bickering conversation outside Zooey's store. Upon Sonic departing with Metal and Robotnik in tow, the individual left their hiding place and headed back toward town, moving with intent.

Belinda the Goat fought back a malicious grin, devious thoughts running her head as she spotted her husband standing where she had left him, clutching a stupid number of shopping backs in his spindly arms.

"Charlie!" the goat-woman hissed, grabbing his non-existent bicep and pulling him to one side. 

The blue bespectacled Mobian groaned as he was manhandled about. "Ugh..." his reedy voice answered, "Yes, dear?"

"It's true! That little fox that's been fired from every place in town? That _is_ Eggman! And he's quit being a supervillain! He's left his lair!"

"Well, that's very nice dear, but we still have avocados to pick up..."

The goat batted at her husband's ear, causing him to flinch. "You idiot! Forget the avocados! Do you realise what this means?"

"No avocado toast?"

"It means..." his wife leered into his eyes, grinning maliciously, "That there's a whole abandoned evil fortress out there, just waiting for the right couple to take over..."

He considered for a moment, before a sly grin of his own warped his face. "Honey... do you fancy going for a little... house shopping?"

"I always wanted my own private island... networked defense system, army of robots..." she smiled back. "Come on! If we move now we can hit the appliances section for that new fur-dryer I need before we put our master plan into action!"

With that, Belinda turned and marched away, leaving her skinny husband to stumble after her with his mountain of shopping bags.

"Ugh... yes, dear..."

………………….

"I... don't know about this..."

Amy watched as Metal Sonic Mark Two clanked into her living room carrying a comical number of suitcases, while Robotnik himself excitedly hopped onto her couch like a little kid. Sonic stood beside her and shrugged. 

"Hey, come on Ames!" the blue hedgehog defensively, "You were the one who convinced him to 'find his true destiny' or whatever, and besides... I don't think he has anywhere else to go! The town ain't so happy with him right now..."

Amy set her hands on her hip, watching with one eyebrow raised as their former nemesis happily played with his own tails. "Yeah well, I remember the last time somebody stayed at my place!" She replied, "Do you know how long it took me to replace my couch?"

"Was it as long as removing a nacho cheese stain would have taken?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing..."

"Well..." continued the pink female, "couldn't he stay with you?"

Sonic chuckled. "Yeah, I have no furniture... Tails doesn't even want tot be on the same plane of existence as him, Knuckles live in a hole in the woods, and Sticks... well, you know Sticks..."

"What's that about Sticks?"

Sonic and Amy turned in unison as the brown badger entered the room, happily clutching a dead rabbit. "Hey guys, look what I found!! We can skin it, cook it, eat it, have ourselves a-"

The feral badger trailed off as her eyes snapped to the mechanical hedgehog stood in the center of Amy's house. After a moment of tension, she flipped backwards onto a sofa, screeching a battle cry, and wielded the dead animal in her hand like a weapon.

"Sticks!" Amy cried, holding her hands up, "Stay calm! It's not what you-"

 _"WHAT IS THAT AMOBINATION DOING HERE?!?!"_ The crazed jungle girl snarled, teeth bared and head low like a wild animal. Metal Sonic dropped the luggage with a thump as predatory eyes bore into him.

"I, UH..." The mechanoid seemed to stutter in an imitation of nerves, "I... NEED TO GO WALK THE BUFFALO."

With that, the rebuilt yet unfinished robotic double of Sonic himself activated his impulse jets, and rocketed out of Amy's open window, leaving a room filled with bewildered Mobians.

"Gah! Come back here, you mechanical menace!! I'll smash ya to bits!!!!"

Before anybody with an ounce of rationality could react, Sticks launched herself from the counch, swinging the dead reabbit like a club, and hopped out of the window in pursuit of the robot.

Sonic, Amy, and Robitnik remained in awkward silence, until Sonic cleared his throat.

"Walk the buffalo? Egghead, what's wrong with your crazy robot?"

"Hey, he's unfinished! I didn't have time to complete his logic routines before I... well, you know..."

"What?" Sonic wore a mocking grin, "fur-ified yourself?"

"HEY!!!"

"Boys..." Amy palmed her face and sighed in frustration, "Can we _please_ get back to some semblance of normality before my brain decides to eject itself?"

Sonic and Tails... _Robotnik_ … slumped apologetically, as Amy set her hands on her hips.

"Okay, so..." As I understand it, you don't have anywhere to go, correct?" Robotnik, ears drooped, shook his head timidly. Amy continued. "So why don't you go back to your lair? It's, like, right over there? Within eliminating distance of the village?"

"Uh, _supervillain_ lair?" Robotnik replied sardonically, "Not a supervillain any more, remember?"

"Yeah, apparently he's switched professions to super... sweeper-upper..." Sonic added awkwardly, before grinning smugly. "Perfect job for a 'genius' of your reputation, eggface!"

"Shut up, Sonic!" The fox snapped, pumping his fists.

Amy and Sonic frowned. For a moment there, Robotnik looked uncannily like their young friend. And not just in physical appearance. 

"Okay..." said Amy, breaking the sudden uncomfortable silence. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to hang around for a few days... it was me who got you into this, after all..."

Robotnik cocked his head and wore a hopeful expression. "You mean you'll let me stay?!"

Amy folded her arms and nodded shrewdly. "Maybe... but there's gonna be a few rules..."

………………….

Sticks angrily ducked through the brush, trusty old boomerang at the ready as she hunted her prey. The robot had touched down somewhere in this jungle, and it was up to her to track it down and destroy it before it could cause any trouble.

There. A glint of blue. She hunkered down and observed her quarry with practiced ability. Before meeting Sonic and the gang, the badger had spent most of her life alone, isolated in these jungles. She knew what she was doing.

Stealthily, she slung her boomerang and lightly manoeuvred into position. she reached over her back and unslung her shock spear, checking the controls. She usually hated technology, but this nifty little device sure screwed up bots good.

With a snarl, she lunged from her cover and bared her teeth.

"HA! I gotcha, you scrapheaded scoundrel!!!" The badger snarled, "Prepare to be junk!"

To her surprise, Metal Sonic Mark Two appeared to jerk in shock, having not noticed her approach.

"OH. GREETINGS STICKS; BADGER THE. I DID NOT SEE YOU THERE."

"You're damn right you didn't see me!" Sticks growled "I'm a creature of the jungle! Of stealth!! Of creeping up on your robot butt and..."

Sticks trailed off as Metal Sonic Mark Two crouched and tore a clump of foliage from the earth. She watched with confusion as the blue robot stomped over the grass toward her, extending the ripped-up greenery in a steel hand.

"DO YOU LIKE THESE FLOWERS." the robot's artificial voice reverberated. Bits of much fell from the underside of the portion of jungle brush the machine had just torn up.

Sticks drooped her spear in bemusement, before snapping it back up in anger. "What?! Is 'dis some kinda trick?!?"

Metal Sonic Mark Two cocked his head and allowed the clump of vegetation to fall to the ground.

"PROCESSING ALTERNATE STRATEGY." The Robot hummed, "UH... YOUR OUTFIT IS VERY FUNCTIONAL AND WELL SUITED TO THIS ENVIRONMENT."

Sticks just gawped at the machine, now fully thrown for a loop. 

"What the heck are you talkin' about, circuit-jerk?"

The robot seemed to recoil shyly, awkwardly tapping both fingers together. The red eyes flickered to and fro in the swooped-down visor. "I JUST... WANT TO BE FRIENDS."

Sticks hopped back, spear crackling. "FRIENDS??! You think I wanna be friends with a soulless automaton?!? You think I'm crazy? Well I ain't! Despite what the voices in my head say!!!"

Metal cocked his head quizzically. "QUERY; VOICES?"

Sticks nodded, eyes wild, and whisered conspiratorially, "Yeah! The voices beamed into my brain from the evil government spies!" She leaned in closer to the robot, momentarily forgetting her hostility. "'Dey think I'm not onto 'dem, but I am!"

Metal appeared to consider this information for a moment before speaking again. "THAT SOUNDS... PROBLEMATIC."

"You don't know 'da half of it!" Sticks replied, eyes scanning the environment, "I've been lookin' for 'em for years, and 'dye still elude me at every turn..." The badger then reared her head and screamed into the surrounding jungle. "DO YOU HEAR 'DAT?!?! YOU DON'T KNOW I'm ONTO YA, BUT I'M ONTO YA!!!"

Metal seemed to consider for a moment before responding. "PERHAPS I CAN ASSIST IN YOUR OBJECTIVE. "

"Wait, you wanna help me?" Sticks set her spear butt first on the ground and scratched her chin. "Hmm... not gonna lie... having a hyper advanced robot on my side would be super useful... I learned that lesson with X and Zero and the guys..." She furrowed her brow and glared at the blue robot. "Okay! You can help me! But first, you have to pinky swear you won't try anything funny!"

Metal cocked his head quizzically. "QUERY; PLEASE DEFINE 'PINKY SWEAR'."

"Oh!" Squeaked the badger, "It's when you put your pinky fingers together like this..." The feral jungle dweller approached the robot and did as she said, grabbing a steel hand and clasping the pinky finger with her own, "And make a promise to the other person! And then you can't break it!"

Metal looked down at the conjoined hands and then back to the badger. "PLEASE DEMONSTRATE."

"Okay, so now you have to say 'I promise I won't betray, backstab, connive, sell-out, or screw over Sticks in any way, or incite an evil robot uprising'! Okay?"

Metal Sonic paused, before repeating, "I PROMISE I WON'T BETRAY, BACKSTAB, CONNIVE, SELL-OUT, OR OTHERWISE SCREW UP STICKS IN ANY WAY, OR INCITE AN EVIL ROBOT UPRISING. OKAY."

Sticks hopped back and grinned. "Now you're gettin' it!" She hefted her spear and wore a confused expression for a moment. "Hmm... why did I come out here again? Eh, whatever." She smiled viciously at her new robot companion. "I forget things sometimes. Now let's go hunt down some evil government alien spies and kick their butts!"

"AFFIRMATIVE. SCANNING MODE ENGAGED."

"With that, Sticks and Metal ran off into the jungle, the badger hungrily hunting down figments of her imagination, while the robot felt happy he had made a friend.

………………….

Orbot hummed gloomily as he hovered about the lair, feather duster in hand, unhappily cleaning the place as he normally might do. he released a mechanical sigh. It all felt so... empty, since the doctor's departure.

There was a hiss as a sliding door opened, and the boxy yellow form of Cubot floated into the lair's living space, setting his hat on a rack and dropping his briefcase to the floor.

"Orbot! I'm home!"

Orbot turned and gave his counterpart a stern glare. "Long day at work, I see?"

"Yeah!" The boxy robot levitated onto the sofa and began lazily flipping through the tv channels, settling for Ultimate Robot Wrestling and leaning back into the cusions. "You wouldn't believe how filthy those lower levels get!"

"I see..." Orbot replied, before swiftly hovering over and sniffing at the other mechanoid. 

"Hey, hey!" cried Cubot, recoiling away, "Personal space! Personal space!!"

"You've been at the nitro-glycerine dispensers again, haven't you?! I can tell!" Orbaot hovered back and set his hands on his hip-gyro, while Cubot raised his defensively.

"Just for an hour!! What, am I not allowed to catch up with the guys after a shift any more?"

"You spend every chance you get at that place! Do you have any idea how much damage you could cause to your internal filtration systems? And is that..." Orbot's olfactory receptors inhaled again, and he looked crossly at the yellow bot. " _kerosene_ I can smell?!? You told me you quit years ago!!!"

"Hey, I like to unwind at the end of the day, okay?! Why do you always have to be on my back?!? You have any idea how hard I work?!?!?"

Both robots glared at one another for several moments... before the hostility vanished and they both hugged weepily.

"I'm sorry, buddy!"

"I'm sorry too!"

"I'll stop hitting the nitro-glycerine so much!"

"I'll stop nagging at you so often!"

The two robots flopped onto the sofa and went limp. 

"It's just..." Orbot began, fiddling with his hands, "The lair feels so empty without him around... no villainous scheming... no accusations of incompetence... no pattering of little feet... I never thought I would miss him so!"

"I know! I don't know what to do without somebody threatening to disassemble me and using my parts to fix up the sewage system!" Cubot replied, "what do we do? I don't think I can deal with this level of independence!"

"We have to stay strong, Cubot!" Orbot set a hand on his friend's shoulder, "He will return one day, and we will be a family again! Why, it wouldn't surprise me if he called, or even came over to visit his old minions every now and then!"

The two robots started as the evil doorbell to the lair chimed.

"Ah!" Obrot squealed, "What did I tell you? That must be him right now!"

"Ah! Let's go!!!"

With that, Orbot and Cubot hovered down from the couch and boosted down the main hallway, heading for the lair's front door.

"Just one thing..." said Cubot, "Why would he use the doorbell to his own lair?"

"Just wanting to be polite, I suppose! He did say he wanted to change his ways, after all..."

Orbot levitated upward and tapped the door controls to the lair. Both robots opened their arms in welcome as the thick sheets of metal slid open.

"Doctor Eggman!" Orbot chimed happily, "It's so nice to see you..."

He trailed off as, instead of their former master, two individuals stood in the doorway... a goat-woman with some kind of sleek jetpack, and a blue desert rat in a very large mechanical battle suit.

"Uh, Orbot?" Cubot whispered loudly in Orbot's audio receptor, "That's not Eggman…"

"Not, it isn't..." The goat chuckled, "Do you boys mind if we... let ourselves in?"

"Actually yeah, we would!" replied Cubot idiotically, before a pair of large robotic hands grabbed him and his silver-red companions around the torsos.

………………….

"Take a look at this, Charlie…" Belinda mused as she hovered into the Lair's control room on her ancient jetpack, "A whole evil lair... an army of robots, all to ourselves!"

Charlie stomped into the room in his mech suit, both Orbot and Cubot clasped in the machine's giant hands. "Yes dear, this seems like an adequate location to launch our villainous operations!"

"What... do you... want?" Orbot gasped in Charlie's powerful grip.

"Why are you talking that way?" said Cubot, to his counterpart, "We don't have lungs!"

"SILENCE!!!" Both mechanoids went quiet as Belinda snapped, hands on hips as she raised herself to a hover in the centre of the room, "This facility is ours now, and you two mechanical morons will do as _we_ say, is that clear?"

Both robots squeaked as the grip enveloping them tightened, causing their metallic carapaces to creak and pop.

"Yes!"

"Absolutely!"

"Whatever you say!"

"Doctor who? Never heard of him!!"

Belinda grinned maliciously and turned to the lair's main console, bringing up a view of the whole island on the screen. "This is it, Charlie..." She cackled, "The time of Doctor Eggman is over!! We'll show that fox-brained little fleabag who the real supervillains are on this island!!"

"Yes dear..." replied Charlie, as his wife raised her hands and released a malicious stream of laughter.

Orbot sighed. "Cubot? I think we need a vacation..."

………………….

"Rule number one..." Said Amy, hands behind back as she paced her living room like a drill sergeant, "Nine pm is my tv time! I need to keep up on my Real Housewifes of Station Square! No video games or cartoons until after then!"

"Okay..." The yellow fox on her couch scribbled notes down in his Hello Doggy journal, seemingly put out by restriction on his activities.

"Rule number two!" Amy continued, turning on her heel and marching in the opposite direction, "Bedtime eleven pm sharp! I need my beauty sleep, after all!"

"Got it..."

"Rule number three! When the 'do not disturb' sign in on my bedroom door..." She raised an index finger sternly, " _Do. Not. Disturb!!"_ "

"Yeah," Chuckled Sonic, "That's mine and Amy's private time!"

"SONIC!?!"

Robotnik seemed puzzled for a moment, before his brow knitted and he stuck his tounge out. "EW! Gross! What the heck do you guys get up to even?!"

Sonic tapped his nose. "That's for the grown-ups to know, and the maniacal ex-overlords to find out!"

"Rule number four..." Amy continued through grit teeth, "I want that robot of yours kept on a _tight. Leashe._ Understand? I don't exactly trust him after he tried to smash us all to bits yesterday..."

Eggman seemed to shrink, his ears drooping and eyes glowing pleadingly.

"Aww, come on Amy!!" The fox whined, "Sonic's my brother! He won't do anything bad, I promise!"

Sonic and Amy raised their eyebrows and stared at the former doctor with confusion.

"Eggman! What the heck?!" Sonic cried, scrutinising the small fox on his friend's couch, "Are you completely losing your last few marbles?!"

Robotnik stared blankly into space for a moment, before folding his arms and pouting. "What? I said Metal is only here for my protection! Not like he listens to me half the time, but that's beside the point..."

"Huh? That's not what you said at all!! You..."

Sonic trailed off as Amy squeezed his arm and looked at him pointedly. " _We'll talk about this later..._ " she hissed. Then she turned to her small yellow houseguest and smiled, clasping her hands. "Well then Eggman, if you want to make yourself at home, Sonic and I have a little excursion planned for this evening... So you'll be alone for a while, okay?"

"Yeah..." added Sonic, "If we can trust you..."

Robotnik perked his ears and grinned maliciously. "Ha! I knew it! You're going on a date!!"

Sonic clenched his fists in protest. "Are not! We're just a couple of super cool friends going on a totally not romantic trip to the movies! Anything wrong with that?"

"You're gonna do lots of kissy-mushy stuff while holding hands!" Robotnik cackled, " _Sonic and A-my, kissing in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-"_

"What are you dude, A child?" Sonic cut the mocking fox off, hands on hips disapprovingly.

It was Robotnik's turn to pout. "Hey! I may be stuck in the body of a fox-child of indeterminate age, but I'm not a little kid!!"

"Sure buddy, sure..."

"WIll you two knock it off?" Amy snapped, tired of the bickering. She grabbed Sonic's hand and began to drag him out of the door. "Now come on, Sonic! We're going to be late for our viewing of Romantic Comedy-Drama for Young Couples Three!" Sonic groaned as he was shoved out of Amy's front door. "And Eggman?" The pink hedgehog added, "Keep this place clean, okay? Be back before ten!"

The door slammed shut behind the two hedgehogs, leaving the fox alone in Amy Rose's living room.

"Stupid hedgehog..." He muttered, kicking at Amy's rug as he ambled over to his deposited cases, "I'm the great Doctor Ivo Eggman Robotnik! Not a little kid!" He unzipped one of the cases and upturned it... allowing stuffed toys, action figures, and games to spill onto the floor. "Now to engage in theoretical battle scenarios!"

The former human, a doctor and mad scientist of mature years, grinned absently as he grabbed a pair of Mutant Commando figures and began making explosion noises with his mouth, a vacant look in his eyes.

………...……….

"Oh, that movie was so _romantic..._ "

Amy dabbed at her eyes with a pink tissue retrieved from her handbag, Sonic hanging off of Sonic's arm as the two hedgehog's left the movie theatre. Sonic shrugged, hands in the pockets of his red and white jacket, having decided to smarten up for his and Amy's night out together.

"Can you get diabetes from a piece of entertainment so sickeningly sweet it makes you wanna throw up?" The male responded, earning himself a thump on the arm from his present company.

"Hey, next time we go out, you get to choose the movie! That was the deal!"

"Great!" chuckled Sonic, " 'Cos Astronaut Cop Eight comes out pretty soon..."

"ugh..." Groaned the pink hedgehog, "Stupid boys' movie..."

"hey, that ain't a boys' movie! Sticks likes that series too!"

"Oh?" Amy replied, eyebrow raised, "And how would you know what _Sticks_ likes, huh?"

"Because..." continiued Sonic, "We're _friends?_ And we _hang out?_ "

Amy rolled her eyes and pouted, "Well why don't you marry her if you like her so much?!"

"Come on, Ames..." Sonic moaned back, "I thought you'd gotten over this whole 'Jealous and obsessive' thing?"

"And I thought you said you wouldn't date me in 'A million-billion years?' If I remember correctly?"

"Hey, people get older..." Sonic replied, hooking his arm again with hers, "Even super-cool and charming hedgehogs like myself!" He paused for a moment a they walked, hands fiddling awkwardly in his pockets. "That dress looks good on you, by the way..."

"Oh, well, thank you Mr 'super-cool and charming'! Only took you two hours to notice!" Amy thought for a moment. "Speaking of growing up... what is it that's going on with Eggman? Earlier on he seemed... almost just like Tails a couple of times. It was kinda creepy."

"Kinda creepy? Yeah, that's one way to put it... maybe being stuck in that brain is doing more to him than we realise... good thing he's close by, so we can keep an eye on him..."

Amy turned his head with a hand and grinned cheekily. "Mr Sonic T Hedgehog... are you worried about your former arch-nemesis?"

"Uh... no?" Sonic replied, blushing slightly, "I just mean that if there's anything... _screwy_ going on with the fuzzy little jerk, at least we can take care of it right away..."

"Are you sure him being stuck in Tails' body isn't altering your perception in any way?" Amy continued, eyes glinting mischievously, "Triggering any... big brother instincts?"

"No way!" Sonic pumped his fists and scowled, "I don't care what he looks like now, I know that's still Robnotnik in there!"

"What's that about Robotnik?"

Amy and Sonic turned to find two yellow foxes approaching them - Zooey and Tails, the vixen happily tapping at her phone while her escort tottered beneath an armful of popcorn, candy floss, and soft drinks. 

"Oh, hey guys!" chimed Amy, the two girls exchanging a quick hug as they met one another, "I didn't know you were in there too! How did you like the movie?"

"Oh, it was so _emotional!!_ " Replied Zooey, wiping a tear from her eye and clasping her hands together. "Especially the scene with Tommy Thunder and Sigourney Beaver? When they kissed and held hands???"

"Ah!" Squealed Amy, "I know, right?!?"

"Ugh..." Sonic retched, turning his attention to his little brother. "you want a hand there, little buddy?"

"What do you think?" grunted Tails, depositing his load of treats onto a nearby bench. "Maybe I'll invent some kind of power-loader to deal with all the stuff she buys... anyway, you were talking about eggface? What's he doing now, pretending to be me again?"

"Well..." Sonic contemplated for a moment, before deciding Tails didn't need any more Eggman worries on his plate. "Eh, nothing much... just being a weirdo, as usual..."

"Huh, nothing new there..."

"HEY!! Who are you calling a wierdo?! Ya better not be talkin' about me!!!"

Everyone jerked as, from a nearby bush, the camouflage-streaked face of Sticks the badger popped up... accompanied by the gleaming blue head of Metal Sonic Mark Two, who now had leaves and foliage plastered to his body.

Sonic, Amy, Tails and Zooey looked at the pair incredulously as they emerged from the vegetation.

"Uh, Sticks?" said Amy, "Any reason in particular you're hanging out with Eggman's robot?"

"Hey, he's my robot now!" the badger replied, hopping from the bush, "And we're on a mission!"

"Mission?" The pink hedgehog frowned, cocking her head. 

"AFFIRMATIVE." rumbled Metal, featurless face streaked with camouflage paint, "CURRENT OBJECTIVE - SEEK AND DESTROY HIDDEN GOVERNMENT ALIEN SPIES EMITTING ENCODED MESSAGES TO STICKS' BRAIN."

"Oh..." said Sonic, holding back a chuckle, " _that_ kind of mission..."

"And, uh..." Tails snickered, "How're you getting on with that?"

"MISSION SUCCESS RATE... PROCESSING..." Metal's eyes briefly converted into loading bars, "ZERO PERCENT. MISSION TIME - THREE HOURS FORTY SEVEN MINUTES FIVE SECONDS AND COUNTING."

Tails and Sonic exchanged amused glances. 

"Well.. sounds like a real nice first date to me!" chuckled Sonic, while Tails giggled.

"HEY!!!" Sticks, outraged, clenched her fists and hopped in spot. "This ain't no date! Metal wants to help me take down the oppressive government regime that wants to control your minds!!! It's all a big conspiracy, man!!!!"

Sonic flashed his usual smug grin. "Oh, right. That whats going on, Metal?"

The robot shuffled in place for a moment, bleeps emitting from his vocal units as he processed information.

"UH, YES. ABSOLUTELY. DOWN WITH THE MAN, MAN."

"Ha!" spat Sticks, setting her hands on her hips triumphantly. "Told you! Straight from the Mechanoid's mouth! I mean, if you can't trust a battle robot built by your former arch enemy, who can you trust?!"

Again, Sonic and Tails snickered mischievously, while Amy and Zooey wore unamused expressions.

"Well, isn't this a regular old couples' night..." Muttered Amy into Zooey's ear, who giggled.

"Hey guys! I'm here too!"

From across the plaza, awkwardly dancing around retreating theatre-goers, Knuckles approached the party with his own popcorn in hand, and a Romantic Comedy-Drama for Young Couples Three shirt stretched tightly over his muscular torso.

"Hey guys! What's goin' on?"

"Knuckles?" Sonic said, gesturing to the echidna's clothing, "You saw the movie too?"

"Heck yeah! It was awesome! I've been waiting forever to see Astronaut Cop Eight!!"

A multitude of palms slapped into faces at the dim-witted echidna's confusion.

"Knuckles, that..." Sonic began, before deciding he couldn't be bothered with the headache. "I'm... glad you enjoyed the movie, Knux…"

"Oh, Knux!" Amy cooed, wrapping an arm around her large friend's, "we're gonna have to marathon all of the Romantic... I mean, Astronaut Cop movies some day! Right, Zooey?"

Zooey giggled, understanding the older pink hedgehog's intent. " That sounds totes adooorbs!!"

"Astronaut Cop?!" Sticks hopped with excitement, "Greatest movie franchise eva!! Count me in!!!"

"QUERY;" Metal Sonic again cocked his head, the attached leaves wiggling with the motion, "ASTRONAUT COP?"

"Oh, it kicks butt!" Sticks replied, turning excitedly to her mechanical comrade, "It's about an astronaut, who's a cop, and there's explosions and space battles and it rocks!"

"Hmm.." Knuckles scratched his head with a meaty paw, "I don't remember that part of the movie... must have been on a bathroom break!"

"Yeah... anyways," added Sonic, "It's one of those movies that fill that little hole in your heart for action? 'Cos, y'know, not a lot exciting happens round here these days..."

As he said that, an explosion rang out from the other side of town, as did the screams of fleeing villagers.

"Aaaaand… there it is."

…...............……

"NYOOM! PSSSSSHT! PAPAPA! BKROOOOOM!!!"

Left alone to his own devices, laying on his stomach, the great former Doctor Ivo Robotnik blissfully played with his toys, making all kinds of action noises with his mouth as his childlike imagination ran wild.

"Ha! Take that, _Spunk Galaxyman!!!_ I, the mighty Brain-Lord, am the most fearsome villain to ever live!!!"

"Oh no! Please, have mercy Brain-Lord! I beg of you!!"

"I _have no mercy!!!_ Now... _DIIIIIEEEE!!!!!_ "

The fox rolled over onto his back and cackled as, in his imagination, the almighty Brain-Lord swallowed space-ranger Spunk Galaxyman whole. The hero action figure was tossed over the room to his demise, while Robotnik gleefully raised the stuffed spherical pink video game character he had dubbed 'Brain-Lord' in triumph.

"Ha ha!! Evil wins!!!" The former doctor laughed maniacally, high-pitched voice becoming a stuttering squeal, before he discarded the other toy, and began happily batting at his own twin tails. 

The fox kit continued this behaviour for a few moments... before his human adult sensibilities re-engaged and he slumped in a heap.

"What... am I _doing?_ "

Doctor Ivo Robitnik sat up, and gloomily looked at the scattered toys that lay around him.

"Why am I like this?" The former human mumbled, "I... was the greatest genius mastermind in the world! I had plans, ambition, flare! A perfectly maintained moustache! And now look at me... just a stupid little fox, playing with toys like an infant... my forebears would be humiliated if they could see me now..."

He dragged himself to his feet, padding over the living room floor in Tails' stolen red and white sneakers, flopping himself on the couch before the tv. He gloomily stared at the screen, an episode of Thruster the Big Red Rocket quietly flickering on the cartoons network.

"Maybe Sonic's right..." he muttered to himself, removing his gloves and staring at brown and yellow pawed hands that weren't his, "Maybe I am just a dumb little kid..." His expression darkened as he observed the sea of toys and games he had packed the previous day in lieu of practical luggage. "Maybe... I should just let myself slide... let this childish mind take over... then maybe I could really start again..."

The television flickered, interrupting his melancholy as an emergency broadcast popped onscreen.

" _We have just received news that, in Doctor Eggman's absence, a new team of supervillains has attacked Hedgehog Village!_ " Soar the Eagle, news anchor extraordinaire, spoke with authority, " _We take you live to Village Square, where the villains in question have a manifesto to announce!_ "

"Huh?" Robotnik was yanked from his brief depression, leaning forward with ears perked and eyes wide as images of _his_ robots causing chaos and destruction among the village flashed onscreen.

And above them, piloting his beloved Eggmobile… a brown goat-woman in a familiar red uniform, sporting a jetpack and glowing red goggles, raised her hands and laughed maniacally as destruction reigned below.

 _"Behold, denizens of Hedgehog Village!!!"_ the figure announced, leaning over the dash of the Eggmobile with teeth bared in a malicious grin, _"With the fall of the 'great' Doctor Eggman… this world needs a new force of evil! A new power to be reckoned with!"_

Robotnik's jaw dropped, as another figure in giant power armour stomped forward, a dangling infant in its mechanized claw.

 _"My baby!"_ a faint voice sounded, before the camera switched back to the goat-woman operating the Eggmobile.

 _"And so, I give to you all now... the destruction you all so readily deserve! The peril you all shall... perish! The vengeance that we shall... avenge! The unstoppable power couple you shall forever fear as..."_ The goat on the tv paused as she considered, before looking to her husband in the power suit. _"Charlie! What's our supervillain organisation called again?"_

_"Umm... I don't remember!"_

_"Well, come up with something!"_

_"Uhh… Team Rocket? Because we use rockets?"_

_"Team Rocket?! You fool! That'll never stick!!!"_

Robotnik clenched his fists in anger as he saw his tools of villainy being utilized by such... incompetents.

_"Whatever! For now, the bringers of your doom shall be known as... Team Charlinda!!!"_

_"Aww dear, you're using my name as the first part of our evil organisation moniker?"_

_"Shut up! It rolls better off of the tounge than 'Barlie' or 'Berlindarles', or-"_

The tv flickered off as Robotnik hit the power button with a shaky thumb.

He quivered with anger. Those fools... those half-wits... those... _VERMIN_ … thought they could be better supervillains than _him?!?_

"No..." he muttered, claws digging into his own palms, "NO!!! You're doing it all wrong! That's not how Kill-Krabs are supposed to be used! And the Bee-Bots?! Those are MY robots! MINE!!!"

With sudden clarity, Doctor Ivo Robotnik knew what he must do. He knew now where his destiny lay.

"Those are MY instruments of evil-doing and destruction!" the pint-sized megalomaniac repeated as he stormed from Amy's house, instinctively heading in the direction of Tails' workshop, "And I want them BACK!!!!"

…………………….

Tails ducked and rolled, as explosions blossomed around him. He hurried Zooey along behind cover, before taking a knee and aiming charged shots with his arm cannon, his new invention (totally uninspired by any kind of particular blue battle robots, or spacefaring bounty hunters that just happened to be female), coming in super-handy against the attacking bots. At least now he didn't have to just batter things with a wrench like some kind of barbarian. Now he could blast them into pieces instead!

Tails turned a Sonic slammed into cover beside him, the otherwise tireless hedgehog taking a swift breather to check the situation with his little brother amd best friend while the others fought off Badniks.

"What the heck is going on, Tails?" Sonic grunted, eyes surveying the carnage that unfolded before their cover, "Is this Eggman? I knew we shouldn't have trusted that fuzzy little fu_"

"It's not Eggman!" cut in Tails, before Sonic could say anything that offended the censors, "It's... Belinda and Charlie! They have control of Robotnik's forces and are using them to attack the village!!"

Sonic guffawed. "Those two losers? Jeez, they're even more pathetic than the Lightening Bolt Society..."

"Yeah, apparently not!" Chimed in Amy, as she settled in beside the two brothers, Knuckles in tow. "They're tearing up the place real good with Eggman's robots!"

"Yeah!" added Knuckles, "They're causing lots of damage too!"

"Wait..." considered Sonic, a thought crossing his mind, "Where's Sticks? and..."

"YEE-HAW!!!"

The gang peered around their cover and spotted Sticks, spear in hand, riding Metal Sonic Mark Two's shoulders like a kid taking a piggyback ride, slashing at bots left and ride as the mechanoid boosted around the plaza like a trusty steed.

"AGH! Stay still, you little pests!!!" Belinda growled, directing the battle from the Eggmobile, "Charlie! Stop them!!!"

"Ugh, yes dear..." Charlie's amplified voice responded from his mech suit, discarding the purple infant as he stormed forward into the fight. Metal Sonic swiftly dodged his attacks, boosting around with his superior speed while Sticks hacked at the mech's legs with her shock spear.

"Well," said Sonic, "At least those two are getting along..."

"Yeah... maybe we should, y'know..." Amy said dryly, hefting her hammer, " _Help_ them?"

"Sonic's ears drooped under her glare, and he groaned in response.

"Ugh... yes, Amy..."

Team Sonic hopped out from their cover, save for Zooey who quickly pecked Tails on the cheek before his departure, and began smashing Badniks in their usual manner.

"Is it me?" called Amy, battering a buzzing bee-bot out of the air into a swarm of its fellows, "Or are these guys more uncoordinated than usual?"

Sonic spin-dashed a stomping egg-shaped bot in the torso as it blindly blasted at its fast-moving targets, kill-krabs scuttling idiotically around its feet. "Yeah! Must be the influence of their new... GAH!"

Sonic was swept off of his feet by more of the scuttling robots, carrying him off with snapping claws. "Tails? A little help here?!"

Tails swung his weapon around, bracing it with his left arm... and flinched as bee-bots slammed into the ground around him suicidally, throwing off his aim. "I can't get a target lock! They're moving too erratically!!"

"Yeah!" Knuckles added, swinging his fists around at the uncoordinated Badniks, "They're real hard to hit, too!"

"NYA-HA-HA-HAAAAA!" Berlinda laughed maliciously as the heroes below struggled against the randomly-swirling sea of robots, her husband finally grabbing at Metal and Sticks in both hands. "MY REIGN HAS BEGUN!!! SONIC THE HEDGEHOG AND HIS FRIENDS HAVE BEEN DEFEATEEEED!!!!"

"Sonic... what do we do?" cried Tails, his blaster sputtering as it ran empty.

"Just keep fighting!!" the hedgehog shouted back, "we'll figure out their patterns event..."

The blue hedgehog trailed off as the sound of droning engines thrummed from overhead... and an explosion blossomed in the middle of a swarm of attacking bots. A yellow streak swooped overhead, diverting the attention of the attacking villains.

"Tails?" Sonic called, dispatching a kill-krab with a dash to the torso, "Why is the Tornado flying all by itself?"

Tails shook his head. "I don't know! I haven't finished installing her artificial intelligence matrix..."

At that, every Mobian with a communications device covered their ears and flinched as a screeching voice tore over the radio waves.

" _GIVE ME BACK MY ROBOTS, YOU JERKS!!!!"_ "

...….................

Robotnik hammered at the controls of Tails' plane, leaning out and making rude gestures at the couple that had stolen HIS robot army.

"THOSE ARE MIIIINE!!!!" he screeched, "YOU THINK YOU CAN BE BETTER SUPERVILLAINS THAN ME?!? I AM DOCTOR IVO ROBOTNIK!!!!"

Berlinda, ducking behind the controls of the Eggmobile, jabbed a finger angrily at the swiftly moving aircraft. "Charlie! Knock that petulant pest out of the sky!!!"

"Yes dear..." her husband replied, still squeezing Metal Sonic Mark Two and Sticks in the hands of his mech suit. The shoulder panels slid open, revealing racks of missiles ready to fire.

"AGH! Put us down, you JERK!!!" Sticks snarled, squirming in the iron grip.

She squealed as the grip tightened. "Be quiet, before I crush you!" the blue desert rat responded.

Metal struggled against his restraint, suddenly feeling unbridled rage in his power core.

"HYPER... PHASER... ACTIVATED."

With a bloom of purple energy, the robotic hand clutching Metal Sonic Mark Two disintegrated completely, causing the mech to stumble to its knees and drop its other captive. Charlie the Desert Rat tumbled from the cockpit in a heap... and went still as a sparking spear pointed in his face.

"I'd stay still if I were you!!!" Sticks grinned, baring her teeth at the spindly rat. Overhead, Metal rocketed away to join his creator.

"AGH! Stay still so I can kill you!!!" The evil goat-woman pounded at the controls to the Eggmobile, causing flashing lasers to spew everywhere. 

"Guys!" called Sonic, through the brief break in the fighting, "protect the villagers!"

Team Sonic dashed around, dragging fleeing townsfolk to ground and behind cover, as blue lasers criss-crossed the air. Above, Metal Sonic entered formation beside the yellow plane.

"Oh, hi Metal!" Robotnik glanced to his latest creation as the blue robot flew beside him.

"GREETINGS, LITTLE BUDDY. MAY I BE OF ASSISTANCE."

"Gah! Don't call me that!!" the doctor screeched, flinching as a blue laser made its mark and the aircraft shuddered, "Now get me onto the Eggmobile so I can CRUSH these wannabes!!!!"

"AFFIRMATIVE." Metal Sonic Mark Two reached over and the Robotnik squeaked as the robot gripped him around the scruff of the neck, boosting him from the pilot's seat and into the air. The doctor went limp as his mechanical companion streaked like a rocket toward the commandeered Eggmobile… until the hand released him, and all six limbs thrashed as he plummeted onto the windshield of the flying machine with a _thwack._

Berlinda the goat performed a double take at the sudden appearance of the fox, two pairs of glowing red goggle meeting one another. "What?! where did you..."

"I think..." Robotnik leered evilly at the goat-woman behind the controls of his machine, "You have something that belongs to me! Metal?"

Metal Sonic Mark Two clumped into the cockpit of the Eggmobile, red eyes boring into the goat.

"Oh, um, ah..." Berlinda stammered, eyes darting desperately around behind Robotnik's goggles, "I... think there's been a misunderstanding? Surely we can talk about th- GAH!!!"

Metal Sonic Mark Two grabbed her by the jacket neck, and tossed her from the flyer like a sack of potatoes. The goat slammed down beside her husband, surrounded by a victorious Team Sonic, while Robotnik settled himself back behind the controls of his beloved Eggmobile.

"HAH!!!" The fox spat, the Robotnik sneer once again beneath the goggles, raggedy edges of a white muzzle quivering just like a glorious moustache once had, "The Doctor is back in... the... station!!!"

Metal Sonic, stood behind his creator, bleeped in confusion.

"WHAT."

...…….........…..

"Well well!" Sonic and his friends, having dispatched the remaining Badniks while the evil couple were preoccupied with Robotnik and Metal, now approached Berlinda and Charlie as they lay beside the smashed battle mech in a heap. "Looks like this power couple's had their plug pulled!"

"Sonic, seriously?" Amy shook her head, hammer resting on her shoulder. 

The blue hedgehog shrugged. "Eh, best I got."

"HAH!! You wannabes!!!" The Eggmobile lowered to hover above the fallen villains, a red-goggled fox leering madly over the controls, "You honestly think you could replace the great Doctor Robotnik?! I am evil exemplified! A connoisseur of carnage!! A-"

"Yeah yeah, we get it egg-face..." Tails groaned up at the machine. 

"So, you two..." Sonic continued, stepping over to the glowering forms of Berlinda and Charlie, "I think somebody's going away for a long time..."

"Oh?" The goat sneered, beneath the goggles she had taken from Eggman's lair, "And who might that be?"

Sonic frowned, the wind knocked from his sails. "Uh... you? for attacking the town?"

"It's kinda implied considering you're, y'know, defeated?" added Amy, hand on hip.

"An' I wouldn't move, toots!" Growled Sticks, her spear wavering in the direction of the two evil-doers, "If ya know what's good for ya!"

Berlinda and Charlie appeared beaten for a moment... before a cruel smile warped the goat-woman's face.

"Defeated? No, my little friends..." She chortled, wrapping a hand around her dazed husband's as she stood. "This defeat is but a minor setback... and you haven't heard the last of Team Charlinda yet!"

Sonic frowned. "What do you mean? You're literally surround-"

The blue hedgehog coughed dust and recoiled along with the rest of Team Sonic as, with a roar of anti-grav engines, The evil goat-woman rocketed into the air, her spindly husband wailing as he trailed by the hand.

"Oh yeah!" chuckles Knuckles, "She has a jetpack! Man, I totally forgot about that!"

"Well, great..." sighed Amy, "now we have a couple of supervillains on the loose..."

"Well at least we saved the town?" Tails piped up, surveying the carnage that Team Charlinda had caused with Eggman's robots.

"That's right, little buddy!" Sonic replied, ruffling his brother's head fur before turning and looking toward the Eggmobile. "And funnily enough, we have ol' egghead to thank!"

The fox behind the controls of the egg-shaped craft raised his goggles and frowned as, below, the entirety of Team Sonic looked up at him in something resembling approval (save for Tails, who offered the doctor his usual glare of distate).

"So, how about it Eggman?" Sonic grinned, "There's always room on Team Sonic for another hero!"

The doctor paused, raising an eyebrow as he glanced toward Metal Sonic Mark Two... and fell into a heap of maniacal hysterics.

"Are you KIDDING?!?" The doctor cackled, leaning over the controls and wheezing with laughter, "You want ME to join YOU?!? PREPOSTEROUS!!!! I am the greatest supervillain to ever have lived!!! And if there's these wannabe wielders of wickedness worming their way out of the woodwork because they think I've gone soft?!? Somebody needs to show them that I, the great Doctor Ivo Robotnik, am not a fox to be trifled with!!!"

Team Sonic stood awkwardly as Robotnik lowered his goggles again, and shot the leering ear-to-ear grin he had been so well known for as a human.

"As for you..." The doctor continued, hunching over the controls to his Eggmobile, "I have you rodents right where I want you!!" the Mobians readied themselves into defensive postures as Robotnik sneered down at them, raising a hand into the air. "Minions? ATTACK!!!!"

Nothing happened as the doctor swept his hand down in command. Team Sonic looked around at the sparking, scrapped remains of Robotnik's forces. A kill-krab twitched. But other than that, nothing moved.

"Well, egghead..." Sonic set his hands on his hips and wore that lopsided grin the doctor despised so, "Looks like you helped us trash your own army!"

Robotnik growled and pointed angrily to Metal Sonic Mark Two. "Metal!!!" He snarled, teeth bared and edges of his white muzzle quivering, "Show these pests we mean business!"

Metal Sonic looked to his creator, down to Team Sonic, red eyes briefly meeting Sticks'... before shaking his steel cranium.

"NEGATIVE, CREATOR." the mechanoid rumbled, "THIS UNIT WILL NOT FIGHT... FRIENDS."

Robotnik's jaw flapped open, while his enemies laughed beneath him.

"Ha! Way to go, Metalhead!" chortled Sticks, raising her spear.

"Hey doc!" called Tails, "Is this another of your 'perfectly operational' robots?"

"Aww!" cooed Amy, "he called us friends! That's so cute!"

Robotnik simply snarled and jabbed a finger at his creation. "We'll talk about this when we get home, young man!" Metal's glowing red eyes rolled within their visor, as the doctor returned his attention to the Mobians beneath him. "And YOU!" the Eggmobile, damaged from the fight and depleted of its weapons battery life, began to hover away from the village below, "I'll be back soon! With another evil scheme! And this time, you'll ALL taste my true wrath!!!"

"Uh-huh, sure. See you next week, eggface!"

"Bye, Metal! Come hang out sometime!" called Sticks, raising her spear, "We still have to unmask the Mayor and expose his true reptilian form!"

They all watched as the egg-shaped craft departed, becoming a speck as it disappeared over the treetops in the direction of Robotnik's lair.

"Welp," said Knuckles, clappimng his hands free of dust, "All's well that ends well! Another victory for Team Knuckles!"

"Knux?" sighed Sonic, glancing at the echidna who wore a vacant yet heroic stance, "I've told you a million times, it's Team So-"

"Guys, I hate to break up your little victory?" Zooey the fox approached, among other villagers who had previously taken cover from the battle, "But... theres a lot of cleaning to do?"

Sonic and company looked around at the smashed bots, shattered houses, heaps of scrap and splinters lying all over the place.

"She's right, boys! And Sticks..." Amy said, "As responsible heroes, we have to clean up our mess!"

"I'll get the brooms!" Zooey squeaked, turning tail and heading off to her abandoned store. 

The rest of Team Sonic slumped as they considered the mess they now had to deal with.

"What was that, knux?" muttered Sonic, "About all's well that ends well?"

"I dunno," shrugged the echidna, "I don't even know what that means!"

…........................

The next day, Amy Rose mumbled to herself as she finished cleaning up the mess that had been left in her own house. She shook her head as she dumped the last couple of discarded toys into a wooden box in the corner of her living room.

"What is it with you, Eggman?" she muttered, "There's something going on in that brain of yours... I just wonder what on Mobius it is..."

As she pondered, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. The pink hedgehog snapped back into focus, dusting off her magenta tunic and padding over to the door in her slippers.

"Hello!" she chirruped, swinging open the polished wooden front door of her home and beaming in welcome, "How can I help... you..."

Before her, once again clad in his downsized red uniform, Doctor Ivo Robotnik stood confidently with fists on hips, leering up at her expectantly beneath glowing red goggles.

"Eggman…" she muttered tiredly, "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" the foix replied bombastically, "what do I _want?!_ Power, my dear! World domination! The respect and recognition of the entire world! All the things the Great Doctor Robotnik utterly deserves!!!" the rambunctious doctor's sneer fell and his shoulders drooped, as he removed his goggles and sheepishly pleaded up at the hedgehog with big puppy-dog eyes. "Also... I might have left a couple of things? I was wondering if it would be okay if... if I..."

Amy shook her head resignedly and smiled as she stood back, holding the door open and gesturing inside. "Fine... come on in!"

The doctor grinned, the expression unnervingly like that of the fox his body had been cloned from, and he excitedly ran inside toward his forgotten possessions, Amy closing the door behind her.

"Is everything there?" She said, hands on hips as Robotnik buried himself head first into the box filled with toys. He emerged, clutching a pair in his hands.

"Yeah!!" The doctor, a disturbing glint in his eyes, happily clutched a spaceman action figure and a stuffed pink thing. Amy felt a flutter of discomfort at the childish grin plastered over his face. "This is Spunk Galaxyman, and this is the Mighty Brain-Lord!! They're arch-enemies!!!"

"That right, huh?" Amy raised an eyebrow as the doctor slid into a sitting position, cross-legged on the floor, tails twitching as he began playing with the toys, grinning vacantly.

Amy padded on over and sat down beside him. "Are you... sure you're feeling okay, Egg..." _man_. Amy paused before uttering the moniker the former human had worn for so long. It didn't seem to suit any more. Not when he wa behaving like _this_. "... uh, Robotnik?"

The fox beside her seemed bemused for a moment, utterly pausing in all activity before glancing to her. Amy suddenly felt _very_ uncomfortable looking into those blue eyes, the exact mirrors of Tails' own.

"Yes!" He replied, Amy fighting the urge to recoil at the focus of those constricted eyes, "Lots of evil scheming! Lots of villainous plotting!! Not that I'm going to divulge any of that information to the likes of _you!!_ Wouldn't want tot spoil the _surprise_ after all!!!"

"Uh, sure..." Amy replied uncertainly, "That's... _considerate_ of you, I guess..."

"Hah!" The fox chortled, " 'Considerate' should be my middle name!! Imagine the irony?! Ivo 'Considerate'... Prower…"

Amy fully raised her eyebrows and felt a shudder down her spine as, again, the doctor appeared to phase out of reality, a blank look on his face. He stared into nothing for a few moments, before snapping back into focus, and hopping to his feet with the assistance of his twin tails.

"Anywho, I'll get this stuff packed away and get out of your fur!" He gabbled, as though nothing had happened, "I have to be back at the... workshop... real soon! Stuff to do, after all!"

Amy raised herself to her own feet as the shorter fox began piling his toys - _toys_ \- into one of the cases he and Metal had brought along the previous day, and contemplated. Now she was really, _really_ concerned. There was definitely _something_ amiss with the former human's mind.

"That's okay..." She said, cheery tone concealing her true thoughts, "You can leave some of your things here if you like? And when you're not feeling so... evil some days, you can come over?"

Robotnik cocked his head, one ear drooping as he eyed her excitedly, "You mean it?"

"Yeah!" The hedgehog chirped, "Remember, once Fuzzy Puppy Buddies, always Fuzzy Puppy Buddies, am I right?"

There seemed to be mild conflict over the doctor's face as he considered how he felt about the overly cute board game he and Amy had bonded over, before he finally settled on another childish grin and hopped in place.

"Yeah! Thanks Ames!" He looked around, in slight bewilderment for a moment, before looking back up at her. "I'm kinda thirsty... is it okay if I get a soda?"

Amy shrugged and gestured to the kitchen. "Sure! Help yourself!" Again, her guest grinned childishly and pattered into the kitchen. Just like a little kid.

Amy's smile vanished and she tapped at her wrist communicator, scrolling until she landed on her intended recipient.

"Sonic?" She hissed quietly, so as not to alert the fox in her kitchen, "Don't mention this to Tails, but I think there's something _really_ wrong with Robotnik…"


	6. Evil Tails Family Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A quick chapter I wanted to write before jumping into another story arc. Mombot comes to visit, and Evil Tails panics!
> 
> Just wanted to write a little Eggman family fluff.

Tails grimaced as he jerked with the motion of the attack helicopter. Normally, he would be flying the contraption... but today, his boots were to be firmly on the ground.

Beside him, occupying the Raven's passenger bay, the rest of Team Sonic gloomily looked out of the chopper at the carnage raging below. All around, Mobian Army units were desperately fighting against hordes of orange and red robots, while above, fox-eared airships poured fire into the defending forces below. With not more ships of their own left to fight them off, the enemy had complete and total air superiority.

Tails furrowed his brow. Ten years. Who knew ten years ago that, the villain they all laughed at, mocked, belittled... would control an empire that was hours away from conquering the entire world?

The now adult fox scowled as he stood. They never should have underestimated Robotnik. Never.

"Okay, boys and girls!" The pilot, a rabbit with a mechanical arm and a heavy drawling accent, called back to her payload of assault troops, "We're thirty from drop! Get your butts out of this Raven and into the fight!"

Sonic stood tall and wore a gloomy expression as he surveyed his team, the scarred hedgehog's cheerful disposition long knocked out of him by the war.

"Okay guys..." The hedgehog growled, the rest of Team Sonic perking their ears as they paid attention, "We know what we're up against, we know we probably won't all come back alive... but that maniac has to be stopped. This is it, people; our one chance to end this war once and for all!"

The other Mobians nodded grimly, understanding their position.

The helicopter shook as flak exploded around it, setting down a meter from the deck of a huge battleship.

"Okay guys, go go go!!" Sonic called, hopping out first in the manner of all Mobian Army officers. The rest of his squad gave a battle cry as they followed, running into the fight.

……………………………………………….

Tails raised his arm, an energy cannon materializing around the appendage, and began to fire at the defending Badniks. The orange and red robots, metallic parodies of Mobian foxes with twin tails, stomped coldly toward the attacking Team Sonic as they rushed into the fight.

Knuckles the echidna smashed them with his giant fists. Amy Rose flattened them with her hammer. Sticks the jungle badger zapped them with her electrified spear. And Sonic pinballed between the clanking robots in his classic manner. All the while, more and more fox-robots stormed into the fight, as the Mobians desperately fought their way to enter the battleship.

Tails ducked and rolled, blasting apart another bot with a charged shot from his cannon. beside him, the blast doors to the ship began to slide closed.

"Guys!" The fox called, speaking into his wrist communicator, "The doors are sealing! We have to move, now!"

Sonic drop kicked another bot, before gesturing to his brother. "No time! Tails, go NOW! We'll hold them off!!!"

Tails watched in despair as his friends, his _family_ , were slowly drowned by the relentless horde of machines, and then turned and ran. He had a job to do. He had to do his duty.

…...........................................................

Tails edged carefully into the expanse of the ship's bridge, built more like a throne room than an operations centre... fitting, for the man... the _fox_ … who commanded this fleet.

"Dammit..." Grunted Miles Prower, "Where are you, egg-face?"

"Well, _Miles..._ " A sly voice responded, "Long time... no see..."

Tails' ears flicked and he turned toward the voice, finding himself facing a tall figure walking calmly from the shadows...

The fox that emerged was identical to Tails in almost every way... save for the sharp red uniform he wore, the proud and stiff posture of a great military leader... and the insane look behind the blue eyes that were a mirror of Miles' own.

"Robotnik…" Miles bared his teeth and snarled at the former human now dubbed "Evil Tails" by the resistance - a moniker that stung the true fox like a million bee-bots. The imposter eyed him with amusement, hands clasped behind back and tails flicking like snakes as he circled his foe.

"So we finally meet again..." the mad doctor leered, his voice like a python's, "After all these years..." he opened his arms and gestured to himself, sneering. "Did you miss my handsome face?"

Tails glowered as he faced down his doppelganger, eyes screaming death. "You've destroyed everything, Eggman… taken over the whole world... I can't let you cause any more carnage..."

"HAH!" The other fox spat, clicking metallic claws attached to the ends of his tails snapping like pincers, "Because you've done _so well_ to stop me so far!" The mad fox stopped and lowered his head, leering up at Tails with those blue eyes he knew disturbed the hero so much. "How does it feel, Miles? To know that _you_ are responsible for the fall of your world to me?"

"What do you mean, egg-breath?" Miles replied, his blood running cold.

Robotnik sneered in response. "Don't you remember? You and that... pesky little badger friend of yours? If it weren't for you two, destroying my Mind Transference Machine, trapping me in this body..." a gloved finger tapped at a yellow-furred head, "I don't think I would have been able to accomplish what I have as a fat, old man... I suppose I have you to thank for my rise to power!"

Tails pointed to the doctor, disbelief plastered over his face. "Don't you _dare..._ " he hissed, "blame me for your evil-doings!"

Robotnik cackled, eyes glinting mischievously, "Search your feelings, _Fails!!_ You know it to be true!!"

The two foxes stopped circling now, and Tails slowly retrieved dual swords from his hips. "I think we both know how this has to end, Robotnik…"

The doctor leered, canines baring, as he lowered his glowing red goggles and drew a curved blade of his own. "Yes, I agree... shall we settle this for good? A true battle, fox-to-fox?"

Tails glowered, readying his weapons. "You were never one of us..." He growled, "Just a crazy human who lost his mind..."

"And yet..." Robotnik snarled, "Here I am... the most powerful ruler this planet has ever seen!"

They spoke no more, both identical foxes ready for battle... and with a snarl and a hiss, both combatants spun their twin tails, launching themselves into their final-

_"Sir? Sir!! I have important news!!"_

................................................…….

Sitting cross-legged on the floor of his lair, a pair of action figures in hand, the great Doctor Ivo Robotnik turned and glared at the silver-red mechanoid that looked down at him, and wore an appalled expression as he angrily removed his goggles.

"Orboooooot!!!" The small fox whined, dropping his toys to the floor with a plastic clatter, "I was just about to destroy my arch nemesis and take over the wooooorld!!!!"

"Of course you were, sir..." Orbot, the more intelligent of the doctor's mechanical lackeys, rolled his optical units and replied dryly.

"I thought Sonic was supposed to be your arch nemesis?" Cubot, Orbot's boxy yellow companion, scratched at his cuboid head and stared dumbly at the pouting fox.

"Yeah, well..." Robotnik replied, crossing his arms and grimacing, "Ever since I got stuck in this body... that upstart canine thinks he's so much more superior to me! Well, I'll show him!!" The fox hopped to his feet with the assistance of his twin tails and set one hand on a hip, the other raising in a fist. "One day, the Egg-Fox Empire will rule this miserable world, and everyone will bow down to me!!"

"Of course, sir..." said Orbot condescendingly, hands on his hip gyro, "Will that be before or after your plans tonight?"

"Huh?" a yellow and white furred face morphed into a bewildered frown, one triangular ear perking while the other drooped to the side. "Tonight? What plans? What are you blathering about you bolt-brained buckethead?"

"He doesn't remember..." Cubot whispered loudly to his counterpart, while Orbot sighed.

"Remember WHAT?!" Robotnik squealed, becoming irritated.

"Well, sir..." Orbot replied, "Before your little... _incident..._ with the Mind-Transference Machine, you made plans for a family dinner tonight?"

"Family dinner?" Robotnik, a vacant expression on his face, appeared to dig back into his wonky memory.

"Yeah!" chimed in Cubot, "With Mombot and Morpho! Ring any bells?"

The fox seemed to vacate reality for a moment... before sudden realisation gripped him and he grabbed hold of his ears, jaw flapping open in terror.

"Aaaaaaggh!!!!" He screeched, "I forgot!! I totally forgot!!!!!!"

"Hey, it's okay boss!" said Cubot, raising his hands in an attempt to console the suddenly frightened fox, "I can head into town to pick up some supplies if we don't have anything ready!!"

"Cubot?" said Orbot, setting a hand on his comrade's yellow shoulder, "It might be a little more... complicated than that..."

"Huh? How so?"

"She..." Robotnik, the egg-fox, began rocking back and forth on his butt, back on the floor and one thumb in his mouth as his pupils constricted, "She... doesn't _know!!!_ "

Cubot appeared to think for a moment, the monkeys in his data banks rampaging around attempting to make sense of the situation. "Hmm... it's okay, boss! I can call and remind her if she forgot about tonight!"

Robotnik slapped both palms into his face while Orbot pinched the bridge of where his nose might have been had he possessed one.

"Think more... _fluffy_ , Cubot…" Orbot said, attempting to prompt the more dim-witted mechanoid, "And yellow..."

Cubot again scratched at his boxy cranium. "Uh... did you get a new fur-cut?"

The doctor gawped at the yellow robot disbelievingly with the big blue eyes of one Miles 'Tails' Prower, cloned from the real fox before the human had trapped himself in the form.

"Think about it, Cubot…" Orbot prompted, "You can do it..."

Cubot attempted, smoke almost wisping from his audio receptors, before he shrugged.

"Pass," The dopey droid raised his hands in surrender.

"She doesn't know..." Robotnik whimpered, "About... _this..._ " He gestured to himself with both hands, ears fully drooped and tails slack.

"Oooooh!" Cubot snapped his fingers triumphantly, "Your new uniform! Yeah, gotta admit... I ain't so hot on fashion, but it looks good on ya, boss!"

Robotnik shook his head incredulously and spread his hand in defeat. "Why do I keep you _around???_ "

"Eh, beats me... maybe you just need somebody to assert your own sense of inferiority over?" replied the boxy yellow robot, earning himself a clip around the cranium from his silver-red counterpart.

"It _appears..._ " Orbot said sternly, "That Mombot is unaware of our master's... _altered_ condition!"

"She doesn't know that I'm... that I'm..." Robotnik stammered, wrapping his arms and tails around his knees, "A _fox_ now... and a _child_ at that!"

"Is there any reason in particular you declined to share this particular information with your own Mombot, sir?" enquired Orbot.

"Yeah! And why didn't you tell her?" added Cubot, "Seems like a pretty big deal, little buddy!"

"I... I was just too..." Robotnik whimpered, eyes big and frightened, " _Embarrassed..._ to explain! I was hoping for more time before I had to tell her I was stuck... like _this..._ "

"Well sir..." Orbot relied soothingly, reaching down to pet his master on the shoulder, "I know it may be difficult for you... but Cubot and I will be here to help you explain your new self to your Mombot! Isn't that right, Cubot?"

"Huh? Yeah, sure..." Cubot shrugged, "Nothing better to do on a Thursday night, I guess..."

"What?" Robotnik squeaked, hopping back to his feet, "You're crazy! There's no way in heck I'm letting her see me this way! And _Morpho?!?_ " The doctor shuddered at the thought of the ribbing he would endure at the hands of his interdimensional shape-shifting 'brother', "Not a chance!!!!"

"So what do you propose to do, sir?" Orbot enquired again, watching as the fox scampered about his lair, checking his security systems.

"I still have time!" Robotnik wheezed as he scurried around, tapping at consoles and checking monitors, "There's still a half hour left! If I can contact her, tell her the dinner's off, then maybe I can-"

Before he could finish his thought, the evil doorbell chimed and a familiar thickly-accented mechanical voice echoed through the lair's inner communications system.

_"Yoo-hoo! Ivo! It's us, your dear old Mmbot and Morpho! Your brother!!"_

_"We're not brothers, Mombot, jeez..."_

Robotnik tensed in fear at the voices, fur sticking on end and eyes wide and constricted, stock still like a prey animal caught in a beast's sights.

"She's here!!!" The fox squeaked, nibbling his claws in terror, "And she's _early!!!!_ Curse you Mombot, for being so caring and doting!!!!"

"Sir..." Orbot hovered over to his master, the fox slumping as the robot set a comforting hand on his red jacketed shoulder, "I think the best thing we can do... is be honest and truthful? 'Rip off the band-aid', as they say?"

"Screw you!" Robotnik snapped, "Honest? Truthful? Me?! You must be thinking of some other genius fox!" He rubbed the edges of his ragged white muzzle, deep in thought. "No... I have a better idea... if it works, I can be rid of her and... _him_ in negative time flat! But you two need to play along! Capiche?"

"Ooh! Ooh!!" Cubot raised his hand in question, "Are we going to stack up on each others' shoulders and wear one of your old uniform coats to form the appearance of a taller individual?"

"Good idea, Cubot…" mused the doctor, "but no... this plan is far more cunning..."

………………….

"Oh, I do hope Ivo has been taking care of himself since we saw him last!" The curved, bell-shaped robot with the steel beehive hairdo said worriedly, clutching a bolt-berry pie in her hands. Beside her, a human in a blue uniform jacket and long blond hair - the shapeshifting robot doppelganger of Doctor Robotnik's long-atomized human form, Morpho - idly tapped at a device in one hand, disinterestedly absorbed in some free-to-play phone game.

"Relax, Mombot…" the shapeshifter said absently, " _bro-botnik's probably on the crapper or somethin'! Stupid organic physiology and all..."_

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"Now now, Morpho!" Mombot pointed at the shapeshifter with a stern claw, "just because Ivo is an organic, doesn't make him any less of your brother and you should be nicer to him!" 

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"Not my brother, _Mombot!!!_ " Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension replied indignantly, "Just a human double from another dimension!!! _Gawd!_ " 

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"Morpho, mind your language! I thought I brought my boys up to be more respectful to one another...."

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Mombot didn't get to finish her lecturing, as the steel doors to Ivo Robotnik's lair began to creak open. The two robots turned and watched as the metal slid apart... revealing a short, organic, twin-tailed figure standing sheepishly in the light of the entrance hallway.

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"Oh!" said Mombot, setting optical units on the Mobian fox before her, "And who might you be, my dear?"

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Doctor Ivo Robotnik, flanked by Orbot and Cubot, played with his tails nervously and did his best to smile welcomingly at his visitors.

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"Uh, hi!" the fox squeaked, "I'm sorry, Doctor Eggman can't see you right now! I'm his assistant!"

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………................

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There was a pause, as Morpho snickered and Mombot knelt down (i.e, her extendable legs retracted and she lowered to the small fox's height) and cooed at the sight of the small fluffy Mobian.

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"Oh! And what might your name be, my dear?"

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The fox blinked and wore a vacant expression as the cogs turned.

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"Uh..." the fox stuttered, eyes blank as he was utterly thrown off by the otherwise expected inquiry, "Uhhh… M... Miles-"

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"Nuts!" Cubot butt in, nudging a yellow-furred arm, "His name is Nuts!"

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Orbot levitated over and hissed in his counterpart's audio receptors. " _Seriously? Nuts?!_ "

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" _Hey, it's the best I got!"_ "

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"Heh, Nuts?" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension chuckled, arms folded, "Okay, sure..."

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"Oh, well then!" Mombot reached out and ruffled the fox's head fur, "it's a pleasure to meet you, Nuts!"

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"Um, yeah, sure, likewise..." 'Nuts' awkwardly replied, fixing his messed-up head fur, "but, y'know, as the doctor's assistant - extremely competent, intelligent, dependable assistant - it's my duty to inform you that he... uh, he's not available right now!"

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Mombot recoiled in worry, while Morpho nonchalantly returned to his game.

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"Oh no!" cried the pink fembot, "is he okay? is he sick?! I do worry about my boy, so!"

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"Uh... yeah!" the fox jumped on the excuse, ears perking "Yep! He's sick! Really sick! Frightfully sick!"

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"Oh my! Well I simply have to see him!!"

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"Ahh..." a clawed index finger reached into the air, blue eyes swivelling for further distractions. "I'm sorry, you can't! It's contagious! Really, really contagious! I'm sorry, but I can't break quarantine!!"

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"Uhh…" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another DImension looked up from his phone and raised an eyebrow behind his dark glasses, "We're kinda, like, _robots_ , little dude-erino? Can't catch organic diseases?"

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Again, the fox went blank as his brain searched for excuses.

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"Uuuuuhhhh…" 'Nuts' the fox's jaw went slack as he desperately tried to find any way of preventing Robotnik's family from entering his lair, "it... smells real bad? In there?"

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"Gross, dude!"

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"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that, dear!" replied mombot, happily petting the small fox's head again (causing the Mobian to grumpily rearrange his head fur for a second time), "We can disable our olfactory receptors if need be!"

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"Agh!! Can't you take a hint, lady?!"

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"I beg your pardon?"

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"Hey, guys..." Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension ambled casually into the lair's entrance hallway, tapping at his phone, "Let's just head in and chill, compadre-inos?"

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Before the fox could protest, both robot family members had squeezed past the little 'assistant', Mombot offering the fox a brief look of bemusement before following her shapeshifting son.

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'Nuts' drooped his shoulders, ears, tails, and glowered down the hall after his family members.

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"Great..." Robotnik mumbled, "This is going to be a total pain in the-"

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……...............…

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"Absolutely impossible!" Robotnik grumbled, as he poured more nitro-glycerine for Mombot and Morpho. Mombot's mechanical cackle echoed through the kitchen door, the beehived-bot now mildly tipsy as she chattered with Orbot and Cubot. "How am I going to get _rid_ of them?!"

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"Well, little dude..."

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Robotnik, ears perked and eyes wide, spun around and was faced with the lavishly-locked visage of his 'brother', leaning on the doorframe, arms folded over his blue jacket that mimicked the fox's own red.

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"You could try watering down that nitro a little?" The shapeshifter went on, moving over and retrieving the glass from the fox's hand, topping it up with further robotic gut-rot. "if the drinks suck enough, little dude, she might get fed up and head to the local tavern instead!"

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'Nuts' drooped his ears and attempted an apologetic expression.

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"I'm, uh, sorry..." the fox replied in a not-quite-convincing display of regret, teeth slightly bared, "I'm just a lowly lab assistant! And an organic! I can't be expected to get everything right! Not like the great Doctor Robotnik, anyhow!"

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Morpho sipped his drink, before setting the steaming glass down and wearing a smug grin as he surveyed the much shorter fox.

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The shapeshifting robot, currently disguised as a blue-jacketed double of the human Robotnik, with long flowing David Goferfield hair, leaned down and whispered at the fox.

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"Hey, little dude..." The doppelganger hissed, one hand cupped around his mouth secretively, "Do you wanna know a secret?"

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'Nuts' ears perked and he eyed the inter-dimensional robot suspiciously. "What's that?"

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The shapeshifter grinned beneath a blonde moustache... before he became a whirlwind, colour and form melding into an indecipherable shape... and where the blonde-haired mirror of Robotnik had stood, was now a blue-jacketed twin-tailed fox, still maintaining the extravagant hairdo.

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" _I know who you re-ally are!_ " The sudden fox sang teasingly.

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Robotnik's arms pinned beside his body, fists clenched. "You.... jerk, _Steve!_ " he snapped, using the alias he knew annoyed the shapeshifting robot, "You knew from the minute you saw me, didn't you?!?"

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Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension grinned and set his hands on his hips, twin tails flicking as he observed his organic 'brother'. "Dude, you forget? We're, like, totally twinsies, yo! I could sniff you out a mile away!"

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"Well, knock it off! This is creepy!!" Robotnik rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm, now I know how Tails feels..."

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The blue-jacketed, blond-haired fox shrugged, canines bared in that smug grin. "Whatever, bro!" In another flash of colour and light, the other fox once again reverted to the mirror of the old human Eggman, now looking down at the furious fox with amusement.

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"So, _little dude_ …" the presently-human shapeshifter gloated, wiping a blond bang out of his eye, "How did you end up like _this?_ "

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Robotnik scowled and clenched his fists. "None of your business, _Steve!!!_ "

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The 'human' raised his hands defensively. "Woah, hey dude-itude!! No mellow broken, huh? Don't mean to twist your tails!" Morpho grinned as Ivo's fur bristled and the blue eyes glared. "Just curious y'know?"

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There was a moment as Robotnik continued his death stare, before the yellow fox deflated with an exasperated sigh.

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" _FINE!!!_ " Robotnik hissed in reignation, "I screwed up an evil scheme to spy on my enemies by transferring my consciousness into the cloned body of one of my arch-nemeses, my human body was reduced to atoms, and now I'm stuck in this body..." the doctor glared up at his 'brother' angrily. " _Happy?!_ "

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"Woah, hey, mad science experiment gone wrong, huh?" the 'human' held his hands up and snickered, "I totes understand, dude-bro!" The shapeshifter then crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at his much smaller brother. "So what's with the BS, huh? Why the whole 'lab assistant' ruse?"

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Robotnik deflated and crawled into a chair, glumly looking down at his own hands.

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"Because..." the fox whimpered, "I... don't want Mombot to be... _embarrassed_ by me..." he looked up at the shapeshifting robot with big eyes, "I'm... a disappointment to the entire Robotnik lineage..." He gestured at himself with pawed hands, big blue eyes brimming with tears. "Look at me! The 'Great Doctor Robotnik'... reduced to a silly little fox... I keep playing with _toys_... I keep slipping into humiliating juvenile behaviours that... just don't befit a glorious genius such as myself..." the ears drooped as their owner lowered his head and stared through the kitchen table. "I'm a failure, Steve... and I don't want Mombot to hate me for it..."

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Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension softened as he looked over the dejected fox. Normally, he'd relish seeing his 'brother' in such a downer... but right now, he felt a responsibility to the small yellow furball sat unhappily at the lair's kitchen table.

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"Hey... dude?"

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Ivo's ears perked and his big blue eyes flickered up toward the shaded equivalents of his inter-dimensional brother's.

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"How about I... help get you out of this mess?" Morpho offered, gesturing toward the smaller yellow fox.

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Robotnik perked his ears and cocked his head. "You mean you'll use your super-shapeshifting powers to pretend to be me, and we can have a farcical night of shenanigans while you switch between me and you, until Mombot gets tired and goes away?!"

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"No, dude-eritto…" the robot double replied, flicking his luxurious blond hair, "I mean we go out there, and I help you explain to Mombot exactly what happened, and who you are now, capiche?"

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Robotnik tensed up, every part of his stolen body freezing. "No!" the fox squeaked, "I... I can't..."

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"Hey! It's okay!" Morpho ambled over to his yellow brother and took a pawed hand in his, "I'll help you through it, okay dude? I mean, she's gonna figure it out sooner or later! Why not just get it over with?"

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"You mean, 'rip off the band aid?' "

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"Hey, I'm a robot! I don't know how it feels to rip off a band aid! What are you, synthetic-ist?"

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Ivo glowered as he allowed his now much bigger brother to lead him back into the lair's main living quarters.

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"I swear, if you make fun of me for this, I'll destroy you!"

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"Hey, bronut-lord, I'll save the teasing until after we've gone through the emotional 'coming out' thing! I'm a considerate big brother, after all..."

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…..............................

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"And so I said, how about we bake some banana bread? It'll be a whole lot firmer than _that_ thing you're holding up!"

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Orbot and Mombot fell into cackling hysterics, as Cubot gloomily stared into his pint of long-brewed nitro-glycerine.

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"Ugh..." the boxy yellow robot murmured, raising a hand to lower his flat cap, "Women..."

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At that, Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension and Nuts the Fox emerged from the kitchen area of the lair, the latter holding onto the former's hand like a small child to their big brother's.

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"Oh!" cackled Mombot, swivelling her head around one hundred-eighty degrees, "I was wondering where you two went to! Did you wake Ivo? Where is he?"

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The fox tucked in to the larger 'human's' build, while the shapeshifting robot clutched onto his hand.

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"Well, Mombot…" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension replied, tugging the fox along in his hand, "I found Ivo... and I think he has something he needs to tell you..."

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Mombot raised innocent, questioning artificial brows above optical units. "Oh? And what might that be?"

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The fox stumbled as he was gently shoved forward by a large gloved hand that had once been identical to his own.

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"Uhh… Mombot?" The little fox whimpered, one hand rubbing the back of his head as he awkwardly shuffled his boots together, "I... Um, I..."

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Mombot looked on naively, while Orbot and Cubot watched with apprehension.

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"I... I..." 'Nuts' the fox stammered, briefly looking up to his 'big brother' for support. Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension grinned and offered a thumbs-up in response.

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Finally, 'Nuts' released a sigh of resignation, and closed his eyes as he revealed his true identity.

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"Mombot… I AM Ivo…"

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Mombot and Orbot gasped, while Cubot shrugged and prepared himself a line of rust.

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"Ivo..." Mombot spoke with trepidation, "Is that... really you?"

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Steve again nudged his brother, again messing up Ivo's carefully arranged head fur.

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Robotnik scowled at his brother, before he registered Mombot's glowing optics and cowered, ears and tails drooped.

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"Oh... you..."

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Robotnik cowered beneath the judgemental gaze of his Mombot, tails arched and hands raised defensively above his head, ready to weather the rain of disapproval he so deserved.

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Instead, extendable arms wrapped him in a tight hug, and the pink bell-shaped robot squished him tight into her bossom.

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_"ACK!!!"_ Ivo managed to creak out, "Mombot, you're squishing me!!!"

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The great Doctor Ivo Robotnik released a sound not unlike a squeaky dog toy being trodden on, as his robot 'mother' hugged him tight.

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"Oh, Ivo!" Mombot squealed, her artificial voice reaching painful levels even for canines as she squeezed her 'son', "You... are so adorable!"

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"Woah, mom-eranian!" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimenson hollered, breaking the two apart before Ivo was crushed, "I know he's cute, but _damn!_ "

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"I am not cute!!!" Ivo clenched his fists and pouted, "I am serious! And formidable!"

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Morpho (the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension) chuckled. "Yeah, sure you are, little dude..."

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"Oh, ivo…" Mombot cooed, setting her fox-ified 'son' back on his feet, "this is... a surprise!! How did you get to become such a fluffy and precious boy?"

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Robotnik, grumpily fixing his head fur again, explained his situation to Mombot - with a few skewed details to make him appear more competent.

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"Is that how it happened?" mumbled Orbot, a hand covering his mouth as he leaned toward Cubot. "I don't _remember_ a one on five laser sword fight between him and Team Sonic..."

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"Yeah! And he got my character completely wrong!" added Cubot, shaking his head, "What a hack!"

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"And so that's how those rogues got me trapped in this form!" Robotnik finished, slumped in a chair gloomily, "The damage done to my mind and the transference implant is too much, so I'm stuck in this body forever..." 

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"Oh..." Mombot clasped her hands together and cooed, "Why didn't you say anything sooner, dear? You had your old Mombot so worried about my boy!"

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Robotnik shrugged. "I... didn't want you to be _ashamed_ me... for being such a failure of a supervillain..."

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"Oh... Ivo! Don't be so silly!"

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Robotnik frowned and looked to the pink robot, one ear perking "Huh?"

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"I could never be ashamed of my clever boy!" Mombot continued, "No matter what you are, you're my son and I love you with all of my programming!"

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"M... Mombot?" Robotnik's voice quivered, eyes welling with tears... before he became a bubbling, bawling wreck and hugged into his Mombot tight.

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" _Momboooooooooot! I'm soooorryyyyyyyy!!! I... just.... got.... scaaaaaaaaaarrred!!!_ "

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"Oh, there there! No need to cry, sweetie! you'll make your fur a mess!"

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"Is he always like this?" Morpho, who happened to be a Shapeshifting Robot from Another DImension, muttered to Orbot and Cubot, while the fox hiccuped and sniffled in his Mombot's lap.

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"More or less..." sighed Orbot, "It can be quite bothersome, but I suppose when you scramble your brains and trap yourself as a child, complications may arise..."

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"It's okay though, 'cos we get to ground him now!" Cubot added happily.

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"Now then..." Mombot chirruped, wiping at Robotnik's face with a spotted handkerchief, "Feeling better, sweetie?"

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Robotnik nodded and sniffled, wiping a stream of snot onto the back of his hand. "Uh-huh... thanks, Mombot…"

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"That's what Mombots are for!" The robot replied, standing her 'son' on his feet and retrieving a camera from out of the ether. "Now then! How about I get a picture of all of my boys? Morpho, Orbot, Cubot, everybody get together now and say positronic neural network!!"

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The camera in Mombot's steel finger flashed, capturing an image that would take a pride place on her refrigerator - Orbot and Cubot to either side of the two Eggman 'brothers', an extremely grouchy-looking yellow fox screwing his eyes and grimacing as a blond-haired moustachioed human noogied his head fur.

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	7. The Ruse of Evil Tails

Ugh... sir?" Orbot sighed as, along with Cubot, Metal Sonic Mark Two, Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension, and Mombot, he watched a small yellow fox stretching atop a cliff overlooking the sea. "Don't you think this is a little... _extreme_ for a first try?"

"Fortune favours the bold, Orbot!" The fox replied, stretching his limbs like an Olympic diver preparing to go for the gold, a pair of ridiculous swimming goggles stretched over his face, "And Ivo Robotnik is the boldest fox of them all!"

"We believe in you, sweetie!" Mombot hopped on her stubby legs, clasping her hands in pride at her 'son's' bravado.

"Yeah, little dude..." Said Morpho, the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension, "'Cos that's what foxes are most famous for, right? Their ability to fly?" the doppelganger of Eggman's old human form nudged the smaller Metal Sonic Mark Two in the arm, the robot briefly flicking his red eyes upward before returning his attention to the cell phone in his hand.

"You got this, boss!" Cubot added, fiddling with a video recorder fixed to a tripod.

"Shut up and get ready to record this!" Robotnik snapped, now stretching over and touching his toes, "I intend this experiment to go down in the anals of history when the Egg-Fox Empire reaches across the entire globe!"

"Ha!" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another DImension snickered, a bored Metal Sonic Mark Two ignored the present situation, "He said anals!"

"Oh..." Mombot wiped a non-existent tear from beneath her optical units, "I'm so proud of my clever boy..."

"Everybody be quiet!!" Robotnik whined, clenching his fists petulantly, "I have to record my super important flight experimeeeeeeeeents!!!"

"Okay, honey!" Mombot cheered, "Just remember to try your best!"

Robotnik cleared his throat and finished his stretches, standing as tall as his thee-foot-something frame would allow. "Greetings!" He squeaked with as much authority as he could project, "Today is a great day for the Egg-Fox Empire! On this day... I, Doctor Ivo Robotnik shall, in a display of ability that will shame that upstart canine Miles Prower, utilize the unique construction of this form to conquer... flight!"

"You got this rolling, dude?" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension kneeled and whispered conspiratorially to Cubot, who snickered.

"Bygone Island's funniest Home Videos, here we come!" Cubot hissed back.

"Egg-Fox flight experiment one, ready to initiate!" The fox said, teeth bared in determination. His family watched on as, with perfect poise and grace, the doctor leapt from the black cliff of Eggman Isle... and, like a fluffy little helicopter, he hung easily on the rapidly spinning tails as naturally as a baby bird might take to flight.

Just kidding. He tumbled ass over tit, and screeched in panic as he impacted the water with a loud _sploosh._

"Nyu-huh-huh!" Morpho (Who was a Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension) chuckled as a yellow and white furry face bobbed over the waves, its owner gasping as he doggy-paddled back to shore. "I'll give you a seven out of ten! Try and tighten up your form a little bit, dude!"

"Sh... Shut..." The fox sputtered as he heaved his waterlogged body onto the shore, "Shut up, _Steeeeeve!!!!"_

"Oh, honey!" Mombot lowered her stance and wiped at the fox's soaked face with a handkerchief as he stood, "You did great!"

Ivo Robotnik screwed his face as his Mombot fussed at him, batting her handkerchief away with sodden yellow hands, "Mombooooot! I have to go agaaaaaaaiiin! I didn't do it riiiiiight!!"

"Did you get that?" Morpho tapped at Cubot's shoulder, the boxy yellow robot nodding enthusiastically. 

"Sure did!" Cubot replied happily, "Man, I could watch that over and over!"

"Hey, Metal!" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension nudged a gleaming metallic blue arm, "Did you see that?"

Metal snapped his red LED eyes toward the blond haired 'human', "UH... NEGATIVE. THIS UNIT WAS PREOCCUPIED."

Morpho sniggered. "What, too busy click-talking with your _girlfriend?_ "

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND." The mechanoid hedgehog snapped back artificially.

"Now now, boys!" Mombot turned her head one-hundred-eighty degrees and looked sternly at her 'children', "No fighting! Ivo is very excited to show everybody his new abilities, and as his family, we are going to watch, okay?"

" _Yes, Mombot…_ " several voices answered glumly, while Ivo Robotnik shook himself off and began to trot back to his starting position.

"I'm going to fly!" The fox chattered, scampering over the rocks, "Just you see!"

Orbot sighed, palming his face while Mombot squealed with adoration, "We're going to be here for a while, aren't we..."

...

"Egg... Fox... flight... experiment..." Ivo wheezed, hands on his knees as he gasped for breath, "number... twenty... eight..."

On the shore, the rest of the Robotnik/Eggman family were very busy either struggling to stay awake, or (in the case of camera operator extraordinaire Cubot), snoozing heavily.

"Oh... how much longer is this going to go on, sir?" Orbot enquired as the once human, once adult Robotnik wetly dragged himself onto the black rocks of Eggman Ilse, dejectedly setting himself on his rump and dripping like a wet rag, "It's getting dark..."

"Oh, dearie..." Mombot hugged her extremely sodden son tight, "You tried your best!"

"Nyuh-huh! Yeah, dude!" Morpho, who was from Another Dimension and was also a Robot who could Shapeshift, chuckled bluntly at the sight of his shivering wet 'brother', "Keep going, and maybe Mario will let you compete in the next Olympics!"

"I... don't understand..." the fox whispered, mostly to himself, "I've... been doing this for years... haven't I?"

Morpho raised an eyebrow, "Uh, come again, Bro-squito?"

Robotnik shook his head and looked to his 'brother', eyes vacant and confused. "Huh?"

"Oh, all this activity must have made my boy tired!" Mombot wrapped her fox-son in her telescopic arms and lifted him off the ground, this time without any squeaks of protest as the doctor simply stared into space, "I think we should go for a nice bath, and then-"

That snapped him out of his present daze. "NO! No bath! NO BATH!!!" 

"And then..." Continued the maternal mechanoid, "we can go for ice cream!"

The petulant thrashing ceased, and the fox looked up at her with interest. "Ice cream?! Can I have mint flavour?!"

"Of course you can, dear!"

Orbot and Morpho (the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension) watched the ordeal with bemusement, while Metal Sonic Mark Two disinterestedly tapped at his cell phone and Cubot released mechanical snores.

"Did you hear that, dude?" the shapeshifting robot leaned over to the smaller silver-red machine. Orbot sighed in resignation. "Yes, he does this sometimes... it's quite bothersome, but he seems rather oblivious to his own behaviour so we just ignore it as best we can."

Morpho (did I mention he is a Shapeshifting Robot from another Dimen-) rubbed his chin and considered. "Uh-huh..."

...

"You okay there, little buddy?" Sonic enquired, sat beside his smaller yellow brother at a park bench as they consumed their ice creams, "You're looking a little out of it!"

Tails, tiredly staring into his own melting mint-flavoured frozen treat, snapped awake and blinked harshly. "Uh... yeah..." The fox released a squeaky yawn, pointed canines briefly exposed as his tongue lolled, "Didn't get much sleep... making some special modifications to the Tornado..."

"You need to take care of yourself, little buddy!" Sonic replied, looking the exhausted vulpine over with concern, "You're still just a kid!"

"Uh, a kid with an IQ of three-hundred plus?" Tails replied, dark bags under his eyes, "I'm effectively operating at an adult level, Sonic! I'm mature enough to know what I'm doing!"

Sonic wore a sly grin. "That right, huh? Is that why you were up until four watching Thruster the Big Red Rocket on the Cartoons Channel?"

Tails face morphed into outrage. "Hey! Are you spying on me?!"

Sonic raised his hands defensively, ice cream dangling between the fingers of his right hand. "Just checking up on you, little buddy!"

Tails pouted and scowled. "Okay, so I like to watch cartoons once in a while... that doesn't make me a little kid!"

"What, like your twin?"

Tails' expression darkened at the mention of the _other_ twin-tailed fox that now inhabited the island. "No, Sonic. We don't talk about... _him._ "

"Well then dude, you might not wanna look over there..."

Tails frowned, before looking in the direction Sonic gestured... then released a groan as his eyes landed on the individuals Sonic was referencing. 

"Oh no..."

Over by the ice cream cart, a collection of robots gathered... around a small, fluffy yellow individual who was far too familiar.

...

"Oh, Ivo!" Mombot fawned over her reconfigured 'son', hands clasped together in adoration, "Are you enjoying your ice cream, dear?"

"Nyu-huh, looking good there little dude!" Morpho, a Robot from Another Dimension who could Shapeshift, chuckled at his much smaller 'brother's' current attire.

Robotnik grumpily clutched a mint-chocolate flavoured ice cream in both hands, the former human very grumpy as he wore an oversized white t-shirt... a happy, smiley yellow and white face in the middle accompanied by the words 'Number 1 Fox Son' in large black print.

"Mombooooot…." the doctor whined, "do I have to wear this? I feel stupiiiid…"

"Now now, dear!" Mombot replied, "My fluffy boy is very precious and this mombot thinks you look very cute!"

"Nyu-huh-huh..." Morpho chuckled, in the manner of a Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension, as he leaned down and nudged Metal Sonic Mark Two, "I can think of another four-letter C-word that might describe him..."

Robotnik clutched his ice cream angrily in his hands and glared up at the robot. "Shut up, STEEEEEEEEEEEVE!!"

"Now boys..." Mombot raised a finger and spoke sternly, "I thought you two were getting along?"

"Yeah, but he's being a butt!"

"Am not! You're being a butt!"

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension and Doctor Ivo Robotik the fox stuck their tongues out at one another, while Metal Sonic Mark Two disinterestedly tapped at his cell phone.

"Oh..." Mombot cooed as she watched her 'children' bicker, "My boys are so adorable even when they're fighting!"

"UGH." Metal Sonic Mark Two released a synthesised groan, momentarily lowering his cell phone, "THIS FAMILY IS SO LAME."

Mombot set her metallic hands on her well-endowed hips and frowned at the steel blue hedgehog. "Metal Sonic Mark Two! Now you put that device down this instant young man, and don't talk about your family that way!"

"SORRY GRANDMOMBOT."

"I'm sorry, are we interrupting anything?"

The Robotnik family turned as one to find a blue hedgehog, hands on hips, watching the unfolding drama with amusement, while another yellow fox stood with his arms folded, wearing an appalled expression as he looked over his double.

"Oh, you must be Ivo's friends!" Mombot released a series of happy bleeps at the arrival of the two Mobians, before setting her optical units on Tails. "And you must be the young man he accidentally cloned himself from in his failed evil scheme! Ivo, come stand next to your friend! You two will be so _precious_ together!"

Tails clenched his fists and readied himself to unleash a squeak of defiance... before his fluffy yellow doppelganger rushed over to grab his hand and wrench him away.

"Yep Mombot, great friends! Best friends and now we're gonna do friend stuff away from you okayseeyalatermombot"

"Okay, dearie! Have fun!" Mombot waved after her son as the foxes vanished behind a shack, leaving Sonic to stand awkwardly in her company. "Oh... aren't they so cute?"

"Ye...eeeeaaaah…" Sonic replied uncertainly, now eyeing his own mechanical double with suspicion.

Metal Sonic Mark Two returned the glare. "WHAT ARE YOU LOOKING AT."

"Oh! Morpho! Get the camera! We need to get a picture of these two together!"

"Wait, what?" Sonic recoiled while the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension (Morpho) chuckled.

"Squeeze in, little dudes!" The shapeshifter cackled, raising a camera he had retrieved from the ether, while Mombot grabbed both hedgehogs in her telescopic arms and forced them to stand together.

...

"Get OFF of me!!"

Tails wrenched his hand away from the doctor, as the mirror image of his form leaned against a wooden wall and breathed heavily.

"Oh, thank you Chaos..." Robotnik gasped, "Thank you, Lord..."

"What the HECK do you think you're _doing,_ egg-for-brains?!" Tails glared angrily at the stolen copy, his old enemy returned the glare from behind _his_ eyes. "Friends? With _you?!?_ You stole my body, you jerk!"

Robotnik petulantly clenched his fists and bared his teeth. "I had to think on my feet! I love my Mombot, but she's... a little overbearing with this whole 'fox-thing'... I needed a minute to myself!"

Tails eyes flicked over the doctor's form, eyeing him with distaste. "What... are you _wearing?!_ "

Robotnik, remembering his attire, shuffled and went red with embarrassment. "Mombot made me wear it... she thinks I'm 'cute'... laughable!" the former human raised a hand in defiance. "I am Doctor Robotnik! The most cunning, most malicious, most _genius_ fox this island has ever seen!!!"

Tails jabbed an accusing finger at the doctor. "You. Are not. A fox. You're a crazy human stuck in a clone of me because you don't. Think things. _Through_ , you _freak!!!_ "

"Hey! Don't call me a freak!"

"Jeez, egghead! Are you kidding?! Look at you! Look at what you _did_ to yourself!!

Robotnik screeched defensively, eyes screwed shut, "SHUT UP LEAVE ME ALONE I CAN'T HELP HAVING TWO TAILS!!!"

Tails recoiled, utterly weirded out as the doctor suddenly looked just like him, much younger, being tormented for his mutation by other kids. 

"You're crazy, dude..." Tails shook his head, as the doctor blinked in confusion, "And I'm leaving." Tails began to walk away from the baffled former human, turning to shoot him one last look of distaste, "And take that shirt off! You look ridiculous!"

The doctor regained his awareness, and jabbed an angry finger at the retreating fox. "Fine! Screw you! I'm going home!! I'm gonna make a super genius plan to destroy you, Tails!!! I'm... I..."

Robotnik, alone now behind the wooden shack, appeared to go blank again. He removed his oversized t shirt in a daze, and frowned as he regarded the smiling fox face on the front. "Where... the heck did I get this?"

He limply allowed the garment to flop to the ground, frown deepening as his brain tried to figure out where he was.

"I was supposed to do something... Sonic?" The fox looked around, searching for the blue hedgehog.

"Huh. What was I doing?" He paused for a moment, tapping at his chin, before snapping his fingers in revelation. "Oh yeah! Get up, ice cream with Sonic... and adjustments on the Tornado!" The fox grinned happily as he padded away, brow furrowed determinedly, "Old egg-head won't know what hit him when I make these modifications..."

...

"Ugh... Eggman's on thin ice, Sonic... thin. Ice..."

Tails grumpily followed after his brother, Sonic wearing much the same expression.

"You think you got it bad? I was stuck with Mombot for like fifteen minutes! Making me take 'cute pictures' with that metal faker..."

The two brothers had taken their fill of Robotnik family shenanigans for the day, and had chosen to retreat to the comfort of Tails' compound.

"So what do y'wanna do now, little buddy?" Sonic regained his lopsided grin as they entered Tails' living space, trotting into the kitchen and opening the refrigerator to retrieve a soda. "Mega Mutant Mash-em-up Seven?"

"Sure..." Tails replied, Sonic hopping over to the tv to set up the video game, "First I wanna check the workshop... make sure everything's secure..."

"Sure thing, dude! Don't take too long, I wanna get to the part where I kick your butt!"

Tails grunted, before grumpily making his way out his shack and heading over the compound toward his workshop.

The fox, normally so cheerful, wore a face like a slapped butt as he trudged over the dirt. He couldn't help it. The doctor's misfortune had been amusing at first... but now it just caused Miles resentment. The crazy human had stolen _his_ body, kidnapping the fox and cloning him without his consent. And now he was trapped inside the clone, being around the doctor was... unnerving. It made Tails shudder, looking at that mirror image of himself and knowing Eggman was in there.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad... except for his behavioural slips. Normally, the former human continued to _move_ like Eggman, _talk_ like Eggman, express emotion in the same buffoonish way he always had... until he slipped into those disturbing childish episodes... or seemed to almost become Tails himself. That was the creepiest.

Tails wondered just how much of the doctor's brains were scrambled. He wondered if the cloned brain retained any of his own mannerisms. He wondered... he wondered...

He wondered why he could smell burning coming from his workshop.

Tails squeaked with alarm, picking up the pace and thrusting forward with his twin tails as the unmistakable smell of fuel and sparks emanated from his workspace. He screeched to a halt at the workshop entrance, desperately wondering what piece of equipment he'd left running.

"Wait... what the..."

Instead, his eyes landed on an all-too-familiar yellow figure, hunched over a workstation and wielding a blowtorch as he busily tinkered with parts of the Tornado.

"What..." Tails hissed, fists clenching, "Are you doing... IN MY WORKSHOP?!?!"

The other fox, startled, ripped up his safety goggles and snapped his attention toward the intruder. Blue eyes widened in shock.

"Answer me, egg-face!" Tails continued, "What are you _doing_ in here?!"

Robotnik looked around the workshop and frowned. "This isn't my lair..."

"No, it damn well isn't!!!" Tails shouted.

"Hey, what's all the ruckus about?"

Sonic, having heard Tails' distress, flashed into being beside his best friend. Hands on hips, he raised an eyebrow and pointed at the other fox. "Hey, what's he doing here?"

"Yeah, what are you doing here egg-brain?"

Robotnik furrowed his brow and appeared to be lost in thought. "I... don't know..."

"Well, get out of here before I kick your-"

Tails, infuriated with Robotnik's intrusion, ceased in his ranting as Sonic grabbed his shoulder, preventing the fox from approaching his doppelganger.

"Hey, egg-head..." Sonic said carefully, "You... okay?"

It took the doctor several moments to respond. "Huh?" he regarded the blue hedgehog with vacant blue eyes, seemingly lost. "I... think I need to take a lie down..."

Sonic and Tails parted as their 'guest' shuffled between them, allowing his borrowed tools to drop to the ground. They followed as, like a zombie, Robotnik headed for Tails' shack.

Tails angrily flapped his jaw. "Hey... hey, egg-for-brains!"

No response.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

Again, nothing. Robotnik now reached the shack door.

Tails, looking as though he were about to explode, held back further comment as Sonic grabbed his shoulder.

The blue hedgehog cleared his throat. "Tails!"

Yellow ears perked, a gloved hand wrapped around the doorknob to the shack, and Robotnik turned to address the hedgehog. "Huh?"

The real Tails, jaw now fully agape, slapped his face into his palm and groaned. "Oh no..."

Meanwhile, the imposter wore a very confused expression as his eyes flicked between the blue hedgehog... and the _other_ twin-tailed yellow fox.

"Sonic?" 'Tails' said tentatively, "What's... going on?"

"Okay..." Sonic sighed, treading over the dirt and setting both hands on the bewildered fox's shoulders. "I'm gonna ask you a real simple question... just answer with the first thing that comes into your head..." the hedgehog looked directly into the copied blue eyes of his little buddy. "What... is your name?"

The fox thought for a moment, before answering as though being quizzed on a high-stakes question during a game show.

"Miles... Prower?"

There was a moment of utter silence, before Robotnik's brain caught up with him and he grabbed his ears in alarm.

"AGH!!! I mean... I mean.... what's _happening to me?!?_ "

"Tails?" Sonic turned and regarded his brother, while the doctor panicked behind him, "I think we have a problem..."

...

"Oh, doctor!" Mombot cried, clasping her hands together as she regarded the small yellow fox sat at the computer station. "Is there anything you can do for my boy?"

Clustered around the 'sick bay' of Tails' workshop, the Robotnik family, along with Team Sonic, gathered around a small table upon where lay the fox's 'patient', the fluffy yellow form of Robotnik's cloned body.

Tails turned and looked up to Mombot, tired eyes behind his lowered goggles. "I'm not a doctor..." he replied, unamused, "and I don't know... his brains are pretty scrambled..."

"Hey!" complained Knuckles, "Now I know I ain't the sharpest tool in the... pack, but there's no need for-"

"Knux…" Sonic sighed at his dim-witted friend, "He isn't talking about you... are you even paying attention?"

The echidna blinked. "Uh... yeah! I'm just... checking to see if everybody else is! Y'know, so we're all on the same page!"

Cubot leaned over and whispered to Sticks. "This guy ain't too smart!"

"Hey!" The badger leaned away from the muddled mechanoid, glaring at the bot with distaste. "Stay away from me, you bolt-headed bozo!"

Metal Sonic Mark Two, hovering near his badger friend, released a pitiful bleep.

"Sorry Mets! No offense! You're cool! You help me scare away the evil government agents that keep trying to replace my tomatoes with microcameras!"

Metal Sonic bleeped happily, the lights in his visor becoming happy arches at her approval.

"As I was saying..." Tails said through gritted teeth, becoming tired of his present company's shenanigans, "I don't know if there's anything I can do... I'm an engineer, not a brain surgeon."

Tails returned his attention to his console and brought up a display of Robotnik's old, now atomized human brain, and the cloned brain of Tails he was now using.

"Here..." the fox explained, gesturing to the screen as everybody crowded around, "Thanks to these scans provided by Orbot, this is his brain activity as a human... compared to the brain activity of his current body immediately after transference. As you can see? Almost identical. _Almost_." The fox clicked away at his computer, bringing up another two scans. "Now, this is his brain activity at our present time... compared to _mine..._ " Tails turned and raised his goggles, observing the confused party. "Over time, his brain patterns have slowly becoming closer... to my own."

"So..." Amy said, rubbing her chin, "that means..."

Tails, understanding that his company were lost, jumped on the prompt to explain further. 

"That means... the longer he spends in this body, the more 'me' he'll become... until he essentially stops being Eggman altogether, and becomes _another_ Miles Prower. His memories, his personality... will be a complete facsimile of mine."

"Oh my..." Orbot sniffled, "Doctor Eggman…"

"I'm turning into you?" The doctor, now raised into a sitting position, slumped at the inference that he really was losing his mind. "I don't _wanna_ be you! I'm way too smart! And sophisticated! And... and..."

"Believe me, I don't like it either..." Tails grumbled, regarding the doctor shrewdly.

"Oh, sweetie!" Mombot extended her telescopic arms and wrapped her 'son' in a tight embrace, squeezing him like a squeaky toy. "We'll do whatever we can to help you remember who you are! Isn't that right, boys?"

"Oh, of course we will sir!" Orbot replied, while the other Robotniks mumbled or bleeped half-enthusiastically.

"what's the use..." Robotnik swung his legs over the side of his bed and stared gloomily at his feet, "The damage done to my brain is irreversible... and..." he frowned, once again appearing to phase out of reality. "and honestly? Maybe... it's a good thing..."

Everyone in the room watched on incredulously at the statement, the fox patient looking around his company with big blue eyes that betrayed nothing of the doctor's character.

"What..." Tails croaked, "Is that supposed to mean?"

"If Eggman is gone..." the other fox replied, "That means the village is safe, right? Nobody ever as to be hurt by... him again..."

Sonic leaned in closer and looked right into those eyes. "Egghead? You in there still?"

The fox looked down, staring through his boots. "I don't know..."

"Oh..." Mombot bleeped, looking sadly at her 'son', "Is there anything you can do for him?"

Tails looked at the doctor miserably. "Dude, I do _not_ want you becoming another me... it's bad enough you look like me, never mind _being_ me!"

"Is that such a big price to pay," the other fox said carefully, "if it means everybody's safe?"

There were no answers forthcoming. The fox that was slowly becoming another Miles Prower buried his face in his hands, while his robot family crowded around him.

"What are we going to do, Tails?" Amy said quietly.

Tails shook his head. "I don't know... I'm gonna do more tests, see if I can figure out a way of... at least slowing this down before he completely transitions into... me."

"I don't like this, bud..." Sonic said, unable to help but feel sympathy for his arch nemesis. "Not one bit..."

" _You_ don't like it?" Tails replied, turning back to observe his scans, "Get in line..."

...

It was a quiet day. With Eggman going through his... problems right now, and all other villains laying low, there wasn't much for Team Sonic to do but hang around on call, waiting for an emergency to be called through from the village. Sonic yawned as he retrieved a soda from the refrigerator, before scratching his butt as he left the kitchen.

The blue hedgehog's ears perked as he heard noise emanating from the tv, entering the living room to find a _very_ tired and miserable looking yellow fox slumped on the couch, groggily clutching a gamepad in his hands.

"Hey, buddy..." Sonic grinned tiredly, flopping into the couch beside his brother, "Late night?"

"You have no idea..." Tails muttered, rubbing at his eyes with a fist, "Didn't sleep at all... too much work to do with... egg-brains."

"Crazy situation," Sonic replied, offering the unopened soda to his brother. "You still need to get some shut eye though, bud! Can't do your job right on zero-hours' sleep!"

Tails shrugged, snapping open the soda. "You know me, Sonic... I'm used to it. Just needed a break."

Sonic gestured to the tv. "Y'know, we never got round to that game... feel like taking on your big bro?"

Tails, eyes bloodshot and rimmed with bags, nevertheless grinned and displayed pointed canines. "Bring it on, hedgehog!"

So the two brothers faced off in the fighting game, Sonic gripping his own gamepad confidently. 

"There's no way you can beat me dude, I'm the master at this game!"

"Shut up, hedgehog! I'll beat you someday!"

"Ha, no way dude! You don't got the skills!"

Tails didn't respond, tongue poking from the side of his mouth as he concentrated... and, to Sonic's surprise, landed the final blow and won the match.

"HA!"

Tails slammed his gamepad into the couch, hopping to his feet and pointing triumphantly at the hedgehog, "I beat you! I finally beat you!!"

Sonic leaned back and wore an expression of mock perplexity. "What? How can this be?! I'm supposed to be the master!!!"

Tails' brow furrowed and his face split even further into a malicious, taunting grin as his fists curled. "Behold!!" The fox cackled, "This victory shall denote the day that Sonic the Hedgehog finally met his end at the hands of I, Miles... Pr... ower?"

Sonic's feigned shock became true bewilderment as his brother deflated, ears drooping as his eyes glazed over.

"Uh, buddy?" Sonic said carefully, leaning forward with an eyebrow raised, "You okay th-"

"Sonic! What the _heck_ is he doing in here?!"

Both Sonic and Tails jerked their attention to the house's entrance... to find Tails standing there, mouth agape with an appalled expression over his face.

Sonic's heart damn near stopped as he understood, snapping his eyes back to the fox he'd _thought_ was his brother. " _Robotnik?!?"_

The fox seemed utterly bewildered as he appeared to calculate... before utter panic gripped him and he grabbed his ears with a terrified squeak.

"What are you _doing_ , Eggman?!" Tails, huge bags under his bloodshot eyes, almost lunged for the discombobulated doctor as the other fox wheezed in shock. 

"I..." Robotnik stammered, "I thought I was _you!!_ "

"Hey! HEY!!" Sonic stepped in before Tails could do anything reckless, setting himself between the two foxes and gently setting a hand on the egg-fox's shoulder. "Why don't you go take a rest?" The hedgehog said carefully. If Robotnik really was this far gone on the train to Tails-town, he might respond well to Sonic's Big Brother treatment. Robotnik seemed to phase out again, blinking harshly before allowing a timid nod.

"O... okay Sonic..." 

Sonic turned him around and set him off, wandering like a zombie out of the room. When he was gone, he turned to Tails and shook his head incredulously. "I'm sorry dude, I swear he was _just_ like you!"

Tails sighed heavily and rubbed at his tired eyes. "This is bad..." the fox mumbled, clearly having not slept the previous night. "He's regressing even further. At this rate... it's gonna be _hours_ until he's just another me. You won't even be able to tell the difference between us..."

Sonic reached about and shook his brother by the shoulders. "Then we need to find a way to tell you apart!"

...

"Okay..." Sonic marched before two identical foxes like a drill sergeant, the rest of Team Sonic nearby accompanied by his mechanical counterpart. "We're gonna ask you guys a few questions... see who's who, okay?"

"That shouldn't be hard, Sonic..." one fox replied sullenly, "I _know_ who I am..."

"What?" The other jabbed an angry finger at his counterpart. "Don't you even _dare_ , eggface! I know that's you in there, you psycho!"

"Okay!" Sonic waved his hands as the two foxes bared their teeth at one another, before the situation could become even more confusing. "This is why we need to figure this out... one of you is Robotnik…"

"Not me!"

"Not me!"

"-and we need to tell you guys apart to avoid any further.. confusion!" the hedgehog finished. 

"I don't get it..." muttered Amy, "Metal! Can't you just scan these two and figure out which one's which?"

"NEGATIVE," their cybernetic companion replied, "I DN NOT HAVE THAT CAPABILITY IN MY SYSTEMS. I WAS UNFINISHED BEFORE MY ACTIVATION."

"Aw, it's okay Mets!" Sticks, who ordinarily despised most forms of technology, smacked her robot friend on the back. "You're pretty useful to me, even if you _are_ a soulless machine!"

"So how do we tell the two apart?" Knuckles said, rubbing his chin, "Make one of them wear a ridiculous hat? I can't imagine being in the same position!"

"Something like that..." Sonic held up garments in each hand - one pair of blue sneakers, with matching blue goggles. "All we gotta do is tell which one's which, and then colour code them!"

"But... red's my favourite colour!" one Tails moaned.

"Mine too! I don't wanna wear blue!"

"Well unless you guys _want_ to be twins..." Amy said, bringing looks of disgust over each yellow face, "We don't have much of an option!"

The two Tailses glared at one another, before turning back to Sonic.

"Okay..."

"Shoot."

Sonic leaned over and readied his first question. "Okay... what's your favourite movie?"

"Mutant Commando Three, rise of the Mutantinators…" both foxes answered simultaneously.

Sonic rubbed his chin. "Hmm, okay... what's your favourite flavour ice cream?"

"Mint!"

"How many fingers am I holding up?" Knuckles added helpfully.

Two identical yellow faces wore identical expressions of frustrated condescension. "Sonic, if this is the best you guys have then we're gonna get nowhere..."

"I agree!" The other Tails squeaked, shooting his double an angry glare before turning and heading toward the workshop. "And if you'll excuse me, I have work to do on fixing this mess!"

"Hey, hold up!" Sticks called after the fox and snapped her fingers, commanding both vulpines' attentions. She removed her boomerang from her belt and waggled it in the air, causing two pairs of blue eyes to lock onto it with interest. "You boys want the stick? _You want the stick?!_ Go FETCH the stick!"

The foxes wore competitive expressions as they realised what she intended, the boomerang swinging around and embedding itself into the canopy of a tree.

"If there's one thing Egghead never learned..." one Tails said.

"It's how to fly!" The other added.

"Okay guys..." Sonic said, hands on hips, "Fetch!"

In unison, both foxes readied their twin tails, hopped from the ground... and one of them promptly smacked face-first into the dirt with a squeak while the other boosted into the air like a missile.

"Well..." Sonic said, as his brother fluttered back down beside him, boomerang in hand and a terribly smug grin plastered over his face, "I guess that sorts that!"

"But! But..." the downed fox stammered, looking desperately up at the surrounding faces as he was helped to his feet, "I... guess I'm really Eggman…"

"You think?" The real Tails handed Sticks her boomerang, before turning and marching away. "Now, if you'll all _excuse me_ , I have work to do!"

Tails headed back to his workshop, leaving the other members of Team Sonic to amble back to their own business.

"Here dude..." Sonic said, handing the blue shoes and goggles to the dejected fox before him, "put these on."

"It's not fair..." 'tails' replied, unhappily kicking off his red sneakers and slipping into the blue, "It's not fair..."

"So you don't remember being Eggman at all any more?"

The fox winced at the name, before shaking his head. "No... it's like it never happened..." Adjusting the blue goggles now resting on his forehead, the fox slumped and stared at his feet. "What am I going to do? I'm just a... _clone_ of.. him..."

Sonic couldn't help but feel sympathy for the fox that, for all intents and purposes, was now a second Miles Prower. "Hey, don't worry little buddy! I'm sure Tails'll find a way to fix your brain! Get you back to... well, 'normal'!"

"Sonic..." The fox looked up at the hedgehog with terrified blue eyes, "Don't you get it? I... don't _want_ to be... to be egg-face again! After all the things he did? I can't go back to that! Any more than the real Tails would want to!"

Sonic cocked his head, trying to understand. "Is that what you want?"

The fox nodded. "I won't be that person again."

"Okay little dude... but what about your family?"

Clone Tails shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I guess they'll just have to get used to who I am now... but I can't go back to that place..."

Sonic rubbed his chin and contemplated. "Well..." the hedgehog said carefully, "It'll probably rub Tails the wrong way... but if you need to, you can stay here?"

Yellow ears perked, and the fox looked at him with curiosity. "Are you serious? After everything I did?"

"Hey!" Sonic lightly nudged him in the shoulder, "You mean after everything _Eggman_ did, right?"

"You... you mean it?"

"Sure do, dude!" Sonic winked, "Can't say I understand what's going on in that brain of yours, but everybody deserves another chance, right?"

The fox that had become of doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik seemed shocked for a moment... before he grinned wide and tackled into Sonic's midsection with a tight hug. "Wow, thanks Sonic! You're the best!"

"Hey, not too rough little dude!"

...

Tails grumbled to himself as he fiddled with another of his devices, safety goggles covering his scowling eyes. He swore as he caught his thumb with his screwdriver, the tool clattering to the concrete floor of his workshop as he swiftly removed his glove and sucked on the bleeding digit.

He couldn't concentrate. His mind was too overloaded with the events of the last day and a half... and the strain of having another 'him' around.

Maybe it wouldn't have been so bad, hut he knew just _who_ that other fox had once been.

Tails, still clamping a finger and thumb around his bleeding hand, went to retrieve his first aid kit from the bathroom.

Stupid Eggman… getting himself stuck in the situation he had, unwittingly turning himself into another Miles Prower… but maybe it really was for the best, in some bizarre oddball way. Robotnik was essentially gone. Now he couldn't threaten anybody ever again.

Tails bandaged his thumb, and jerked as the rapping of knuckles sounded at the door.

"'Ooh ish ick?!" The fox said, a pair of scissors between his teeth.

"Oh, uh..." An awfully familiar voice replied from behind the wood, causing Tails to sigh in resignation, "It's... uh, it's..."

"Never mind..." Tails grunted, finishing his work and setting the medical kit back where it belonged. He opened the bathroom door, and found himself staring into the yellow and white face of his doppelganger.

His eyes flickered over the blue goggles and sneakers the double wore. He was silently relieved he hadn't found _himself_ wearing the distinguishing garments. He had no idea exactly how far the doctor's memories paralleled his own. Given the extent of his personality shift, most likely right up until the moment his new body was cloned.

The other fox begrudgingly looked over the red goggles Tails wore. It seemed this 'other' Miles Prower was resentful that he was the copy.

"Sorry to bother you..." The other fox muttered, managing to not sound apologetic at all, "I need to use the..."

"Yeah, no need for details Egg..." Tails trailed off, the other fox wincing at the near slip of the name he now despised, and Tails sighed. " _Miles_ …"

Ugh. He hated having to refer to the doctor with _his_ name. But the others had been on his case about treating the new Tails unkindly. It worked in their favour that Eggman was now gone, after all.

"Just... do your business," the real Tails said, shoving past his double.

The other fox turned and shot him a look. "Don't worry, Miles... I intend to..."

Tails couldn't help but take pause as the bathroom door clicked shut. He was sure he'd seen a glint of malice in the double's eye... 

unnerved, Tails rubbed his chin and considered for a moment. He frowned. Then, with deliberate heavy footsteps, he walked away from the bathroom. When he was sure he was far enough as to be out of his own earshot, he hopped into the air, hovering with his twin tails, silently fluttering into the rafters of the workshop, where he could spy on any rogue foxes that might be emerging soon.

He waited several minutes. If he knew his own body, the other Tails was taking a decent dump. Eventually, the flush of the toilet could be heard, the gushing of water in the faucet, and the familiar yellow form of his own body stepped from the small lavatory.

The fox below, oblivious to Miles' presence, wiped his hands off on himself... and proceeded to strut through the workshop, whistling a tune that Miles had never heard in his life.

Tails grimaced. _You sly bastard, Eggman…_ He considered swooping down and confronting him right then and there... but before he could even move a muscle, a small bleeping sounded from the other fox's wrist computer.

"AGH!!!" The other Tails jerked in surprise, scowling as he recognised the caller I.D. "You fools... now? Seriously?"

Miles hunkered down a little more as the other fox looked cautiously around, ears perked, and tapped at his communications device.

"I thought I told you fools..." the other fox, clearly in full-on Eggman mode, hissed into his device, "Not to contact me during my mission?!?! What in blazes do you want?!?!?"

 _"Sorry, sir..."_ The effeminate voice of Orbot sounded from the communicator, just audible from Tails' position. _"We were worried about you!"_

 _"I wasn't..."_ Came Cubot's distant and unenthusiastic voice.

Tails, tongue between his lips, tapped at his own device, activating the _record_ function.

Robotnik palmed his face. "At least tell me you're broadcasting this on an encrypted channel...."

 _"Um..."_ There was a pause lasting a couple of seconds, Robotnik tapping his blue-sneakered foot impatiently, _"Now we are, sir!"_

"Why do I even bother with you nincompoops?!" the doctor sighed, leaning against a workbench. "Still..." he said, wearing a grin and allowing pointed canines to jut from the corners of his mouth, "It's good to actually be myself... behaving like that vulpine brat is beginning to take its toll on my patience..."

_"How goes the mission, doctor?"_

"Ha! Orbot, you would not _believe_ how convinced I have everybody! The blue hedgehog? He got everybody to let me _stay_ here! Called me his little buddy and everything! Even _Fails_ is convinced I'm another him! HA! As if..." The doctor leered happily and inspected the tip of his left tail, happily twirling the fur around his fingers, "Can you imagine..." he went on, "the things I could accomplish under the _protection_ of Sonic the Hedgehog? And if I can get rid of that inferior fox... if the clone once known as 'Doctor Eggman' could encounter an unfortunate accident... the world is my oyster, boys! And these fools won't even know it until it's too late!!"

_"Oh, doctor! This plan of yours is your most cunning yet!"_

Robotnik chuckled. "A very cunning plan, befitting a very cunning fox!" He took another look around the workshop, eyes taking in the mish-mash of inventions and tools and equipment that lay everywhere. "Anyway, I had better get back to work... I have to find a way to get rid of that confounded canine, after all..."

_"You know sir, Mombot is very upset... I don't think she would like it if she knew what you were doing..."_

Robotnik shrugged. "I love my mombot, but sometimes a fox has to do what a fox has to do, you know?"

Tails bristled at that. He was already angry the doctor was clearly deceiving them yet again, but repeatedly referencing himself as a 'fox' was beginning to make Tails livid.

Robotnik's ears perked and he tensed, as though sensing something, before waving it off. "Do not contact me again, Orbot." the doctor hissed, "Not while I'm on mission. Not if you _like_ having all of your limbs where they belong!"

_"Oh, uh... yes sir! Signing off!"_

The link went dead, and the doctor hummed to himself in satisfaction. In the assumption that nobody else was around, he briefly hugged his own twin fluffy tails and giggled like a spoilt child, before clearing his throat, rolling his shoulders... and his face once again fell into the mask, the real Doctor Robotnik hidden behind the pretence of Miles Prower, as he left the workshop.

Tails allowed a few minutes to pass, until he was sure the doctor was well and truly gone. Then he fluttered down from the rafters and set his hands on his hips, glaring in the path of the departed Robotnik.

"So..." The fox muttered, "you want to replace me, huh egg-for brains?" Miles stroked the ragged edges of his muzzle... and grinned wickedly as a devious idea entered his mind. He lowered his goggles and struck an evil pose. "Well then, _Evil Fails!_ " Miles Prower, not a shoddy actor himself, managed to pull of a good impression of his fox-ified arch enemy, one hand pumping dramatically into the air, "Let's see how _you_ like it..."

...

"Oh, isn't this just lovely!" Mombot, Eggman's self-built mother figure, gleefully poured glasses of lemonade for the combined party of Team Sonic and Robotnik family members, while Amy assisted. "Both of our families enjoying a nice get together!"

"Yeah, sure..." drawled Sonic, adopting a similar resigned pose as his mechanical double Metal Sonic Mark two, both organic and metallic hedgehogs having been subjected to another round of Mombot's affection.

"YEAH. SURE." Repeated Metal Sonic, unwittingly copying the organic's mannerisms.

"Bro, you're jacked as heck!" Morpho, the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension grinned as he and Knuckles chatted, the red echidna showing off his massive biceps. 

"Dude, you're jacked as heck too!" The echidna replied, causing Morpho to beam with pride.

"Ugh..." Amy groaned, sipping at a fruit-decorated glass of lemonade, "boys..."

"I know, right?" Sticks replied, busily painting camouflage streaks onto her face in preparation for her battle with the alien hunter that kept stalking her in the jungle.

"Hi guys...."

Everybody stopped what they were doing and turned to find a small yellow fox grinning to Sonic, before offering a cautious look to the Robotniks as he adjusted his goggles.

"Oh, uh...." Sonic said, doing his best to be cheery, "Hey there... dude!"

The fox's grin faltered, before he looked down to his own shoes... to find blue-coloured sneakers. All six of his limbs slumped at the discovery.

"Oh..." The fox said gloomily, "I guess I'm... that one..."

"Oh, sweetie!" Mombot hopped over to her little orange son and lifted him into her telescopic arms, hugging him in close to her ample android bosom, "I know it's hard for you, but your old Mombot is here!"

The fox in her arms hesitated momentarily, before snuggling into her steel breast. "Thanks, Mombot...."

"Ugh, I think I'm gonna be sick..." mumbled Sonic, nudging his mechanical counterpart in the arm.

"I AM INCAPABLE OF THE FUNCTION BUT I AGREE" replied the droid.

"Oh, hey guys!"

...

Once again, everybody turned to find... a small yellow fox, clad in blue sneakers, goggles lowered over his eyes as he flashed a maliciously smug grin.

"What?" The fox said, his canines jutting from the corners of his mouth as his leer widened, "Do I have something on my face?"

There were several double-takes as the party looked between the two foxes, the individual snuggling in Mombot's arms wearing a very confused expression at the arrival of his doppelganger.

"Uh..." Sonic began, one finger raised in the air as he frowned in bewilderment.

"Okay, what's going on?" Amy took over, stepping forward with her hands on hips, "Are you two _trying_ to confuse us at this point?!"

"Oh no!" The new, goggled fox replied, stepping forward with his hands behind back, "It's very simple... I recalibrated the stabilizers of the mind-scanning equipment to sort out my brain, meaning I have full control over my mind again! Essentially, I finished the work that Tails couldn't manage!" The fox wore a smug grin. "Despite his far superior intellect than my own..."

The other fox's jaw dropped. "What"

"Yes, I owe you an apology, Tails..." The fox went on, "I seem to have put you in an.... embarrassing position these last few days! What with my own idiot failures and all!"

"Wait..." Sticks gestured to the fox. "So _you're_ Eggman?"

He nodded and grinned. "Sure am! Stupid, old, incompetent Egghead!" 

Tails couldn't help but feel a flutter of satisfaction as the other fox bristled.

"Isn't that right?" he grinned, baring his canines, " _Tails?_ "

Robotnik, now under pressure, began to squirm. "Uh... I, uh..."

"Ooh, also!" Tails raised a finger and spoke jubilantly, "Look what I learned to do!" With little effort, having been able to do it his entire life, Tails rotated his namesakes and spun into the air, glaring down at the imposter fox below. "Isn't that so cool?"

Team Sonic, beginning to cotton on, looked to the fox in Mombot's arms.

"What's going on, Miles..." Sonic sighed, "there any reason you're pretending to be Eggman?"

Tails fluttered to a landing and raised his goggles, having become tired of the charade. "Just thought I'd give it a shot... seems like it's the hot new thing, pretending to be one another... huh, eggface?"

Robotnik squirmed again, curling his own tails around himself defensively. 

"I'm... very confused," Amy said.

"Hey, that's how I feel all the time!" added Knuckles.

"Okay, so basically, scientifically speaking... Egghead is full of crap." Tails explained smirking as a small squeak of irritation emerged from his double. "Not like that's a surprise." 

Sonic shook his head, befuddled. "What do you mean, dude?"

"Well..." Tails said, raising his communicator and tapping at the screen, "You guys might wanna listen to this..."

Tails played the recording he'd covertly taken of Robotnik's conversation with his lackeys... and every pair of eyes settled on the doctor in a display of intense scrutiny. Only his eyes and ears poked from the cover of his tails.

"Dude..." Sonic folded his arms and scowled at his long-time enemy, " _Not_ cool!"

"We believed you, _Eggman_!" Amy said, clenching her fists.

"Ivo!" Mombot set her 'son' down and wagged a stern finger. "I'm very disapointed in you!"

"Fuzzy little jerkwad!" Sticks snarled.

Robotnik fiddled with the tips of his tails, ears drooped as he quailed under the scrutiny.

"I... uh, I..."

And then, with the petulant screech of a spoiled child denied a treat, the doctor removed his goggles and stamped on them repeatedly with a blue-sneakered foot.

"AAAAAGH!!!" he growled, eyes betraying his full, true nature as they glared at the source of his torment, "I HATE YOU, TAILS!!! MEDDLING LITTLE PEST!!!!"

"Hey, screw you egg-brains!" Tails cried back, "You were going to replace me!!"

"Don't worry about that, little buddy!" Sonic stood beside his brother and glared at the doctor, "Nobody could replace you! Especially egg-breath!"

"You lied to your friends, Ivo!" Mombot said, "You lied to me!"

Robotnik pumped his fists and released a sound not unlike a punctured bouncy castle. "SHUT UP!! EVERYBODY JUST SHUT UP!!!!!" He smacked angrily at his wrist gauntlet, the rumble of mechanics filling the air as his entire complement of offensive Badniks screamed into formation.

The fox grinned evilly as Team Sonic adopted combat stances. "You mess with the fox..." He sneered, "You get the bots!" MINIONS! ATTACK!!!!"

...

Team Sonic launched into the fight as the Badniks attacked, smashing bots left and right.

"I don't believe that little jerk!" Sonic cried as he landed from a spin dash. "I should have known better than to trust him!!"

"He fooled us all, Sonic!" Amy shouted back in reply, smashing bots with her hammer, "We all should have known better!"

"But what about his brain scans?!" Knuckles smashed a pair of motobugs between his fists, as though slapping a large mechanical sandwich together, "His brain was supposed to be turning into Tails', right?"

"The scans were supplied by _Orbot and Cubot_ , Knuckles..." Tails responded, his arm cannon sparking, "It was rigged from the start!"

"Can we have this conversation..." Sticks backflipped onto a large egg-shaped infantry Badnik and shoved her shock-spear into its head, causing the thing to quake as it was electrifed to death, " _After_ we've smashed all the bots... WOAH!"

Sticks lunged forward and rolled away as a swarm of beebots swooped down to impale her on their stingers... before the swarm was atomized by a beam of energy. Sticks looked to find the hovering form of Metal Sonic Mark Two, torso blaster crackling with power as he fought _against_ his creators' machines.

"Hey!" Sticks said, shooting an appreciative thumbs up to her robot friend, "Thanks Mets!"

"Sticks is right!" Sonic said, "Let's just concentrate on fighting for now! We can deal with the little fuzzball when we're done!"

Team Sonic split up at that, pursuing their own targets.

...

Tails blasted another bot with his arm cannon, the new weapon proving its usefulness in combat yet again. He hopped into the air, and hovered for a moment as he lobbed a sizzling bomb into the face of another egg-bot. The thing fell like a rag doll, a huge smoking crater where its torso had been.

"Well, Tails..." Miles spun around, and paused as he found himself staring down his double. 

Robotnik, foregoing the usual vantage point of his Eggmobile, leered malevolently as the two foxes faced off. "Looks like... it's just you and me!"

"You?" Tails scoffed, his arm cannon fizzling away as it deconstructed atom-by-atom, "since when were you the physical type?"

"I may as well give this body a proper test run!" The doctor leered, fists clenched and teeth bared, "I was quite the pugilist in my youth, _Fails!_ And I think it's about time we... settled our differences, wouldn't you say?"

Miles lowered his head and adopted a combat stance, the battle continuing around them, "I think that's a great idea, egg-for-brains..."

There were no more words to say, as the two rival foxes glared at one another... and then engaged in the least impressive slap fight in history.

"OW! Stop it!!"

"Hey, don't hit there!"

"Stop cheating!!!"

"Quit it, _jerk!_ "

"You quit it!"

"OKAY THAT'S IT..."

Tails, utterly done and frustrated with the mad doctor who had stolen his body, lunged around and wrapped his arms around Robotnik, gripping him beneath the armpits in a tight bear hug.

"HEY?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!"

"You wanna be me, Egghead?" Miles grinned evilly as a plan formed in his head, and his twin tails rotated rapidly, "Well, I gotta give it to you... you can walk like me, talk like me, look like me..." Robotnik squirmed as he was lifted away from the ground, on a flight path toward... the shining blue ocean, lower limbs kicking and thrashing, "But there's one thing you need if you wanna be a Tails... _flight!"_

"Don't you dare!!" The doctor cried, desperation entering his voice as he found himself quite a long way from the ground, Tails' namesakes thrumming as they spun like helicoptor rotors, "Don't you even think about it, you jerk!!"

"Come on, egg-brain! You're a genius!" Tails called down, grinning happily as he easily held the meagre weight of the doctor's fox-form, "I've been flying my entire life! I'm sure you can figure it out!"

Robotnik, panicking now, waggled his own twin appendages uselessly.

"I'll give you five seconds to work it out!" Tails went on, "Five!"

"No! Please!!"

"Four!"

"I'll call off the attack!!!"

"Three!"

"I'll never try to pass as you again, I swear!!!"

"Two!"

"I'll... I'LL TELL MY MOMBOT ON YOUUUU"

"One!"

NO!!! WORK YOU STUPID BLASTED-"

"Bye bye!"

Robotnik, utterly incapable of flying like the fox he had modelled himself from, screeched as he plummeted to his watery doom.

...

The doctor, defeated once again, dejectedly doggy-paddled back to shore, yellow head bobbing above the waves. He heaved himself from the ocean, fur sopping wet and hanging from his skinny form, and he flopped onto his back and gasped for breath.

"Kill... Tails..." He hissed, soaking the sand around him, "Kill... Tails..."

"Well, egg-breath..." the doctor's ears perked and he craned his head back, finding the upside-down faces of Team Sonic and Mombot observing him. Sonic, lopsided grin on full display, set his hands on his hips. "Have a nice swim?"

Robotnik, dripping like a wet dishcloth, staggered to his feet and glared at the Mobians, noting that his force of Badniks had been eliminated. A very smug looking Tails fluttered down to a landing, grinning evilly at the dripping wet doctor.

"My plans..." Robotnik wheezed, "My glorious plans... ruined _again!!_ " he glared at Tails and jabbed a clawed finger. "I'll get you for this, Tails!!"

"Bring it on, egg-stain! Anytime!"

"Oh I'll _more_ than bring it!!" Robotnik snarled, eyes staring death, "I'll face you with the most evil, most despicable, most _detestable_ method of vengeance my ingenious mind can conco-"

"IVO!!"

Robotnik ceased in his ranting and cowered, ears drooping and tails flopping, as Mombot stormed over to her 'son'.

"I am _very_ disappointed in you!!" The curvy, well endowed maternal mechanoid set her hands on her hips, "You lied to your friends, and you lied to your family, and you had everybody worried SICK!!"

Robotnik shrank even further beneath his Mombot's scolding. "I just... wanted to get my revenge on my arch-nemeses..."

"I'm sorry Ivo, but I have to do this for your own good! You have to learn your actions have consequences!" Mombot pointed a stern finger down to the small fox. "You. Are. _GROUNDED!_ "

Robotnik's jaw flapped, and his eyes widened in terror. "No! NO!!"

"Now we're going to go on home..." Mombot snatched his hand and began to lead him away, much to the amusement of Team Sonic. "And you're going to sit and think about what you've done!"

"NO! PLEASE!! I CAN'T Be grounded I am the greatest supervillain to ever live you _can't do this to me mombot no..._ "

Team Sonic simply watched the small, soggy form of Doctor Robotnik dragged away by his Mombot, highly entertained by the spectacle.

"Oof, grounded..." Knuckles said, "Tough deal!"

"Well..." Sonic said, clapping his brother on the shoulder, "Sorry you had to go through all that, little buddy..."

"Heh, it was worth it just to dunk his butt in the water!" Tails replied, adjusting his goggles. "I guess egg-face doesn't make a good Tails after all!"

"Well, I think we all agree we're going to have to be a little more careful around you, Tails..." Amy said, her hammer vanishing into its magical storage space with a small _ploop_ "Never know if you might be Eggman in disguise!"

"Meh, I always assume people are evil copies of themselves anyway..." added Sticks.

"A LOGICAL ASSUMPTION." Added her mechanical companion, Metal Sonic Mark Two having declined to accompany his family back to the lair.

"Anyway..." Said Sonic, hands on hips as he flashed his usual lopsided grin, "Anybody up for a victory meal at Meh' Burger?"

He was met with a chorus of affirmative cheers, and Team Sonic trooped off to fill their faces with chemical compounds that roughly passed for food, celebrating their latest victory over the 'great' Doctor Ivo Robotnik.

...

The doctor in question sat cross legged on his bed, arms folded, moodily staring at the tips of his own tails. Grounded. Him! Grounded! How could _he_ be grounded?!

"Momboooooot...." he whined pathetically, "I'm sorreeeeeeeee..."

"You're still grounded, young man!" The mechanical mother figure replied from outside his room, "For a month!"

"A MONTH?!?! MOMBOOOOOOT THAT'S NOT FAAAAAAAAAAAIRRR...."

"It's for your own good, Ivo! Perhaps you'll think about other peoples' feelings next time!"

Robotnik groaned and flopped backward into the bed, all six limbs splayed. He remained there for a while contemplating his defeat, bored, all entertainment and evil-doing devices confiscated, until there was a knock at the door.

"What..."

"We have your supper, sir!" Orbot and Cubot floated into the room, Orbot clutching a dish of chicken and vegetables. "I apologise sir, but Mombot instructed us to keep it as plain as possible... part of your punishment and all.."

Robotnik gloomily took the food and nibbled unenthusiastically at a strip of boiled chicken. "It's not fair!" He complained, "My plans... all the things I could get away with... ruined by that stupid Tails!"

"Well, to be fair we kinda called you at a b- mmph!"

"What he means sir..." Orbot smacked a hand over his counterpart's vocal processor, shutting the babbling bot up, "Is that you were clearly robbed of a decisive victory over Team Sonic! I'm sure you'll succeed next time!"

"Yeah, _maybe!_ In a whole _month!_ " Robotnik sighed. "Grounded! Can you believe it?! Grounded! Me! I'm not a little kid! I'm not eight years old! I'm..." the doctor paused, frowning at his supper. "I... don't know how old I am..."

Orbot and Cubot exchanged a brief glance as the doctor's eyes glazed over. "Uh, sir?" tried Cubot, "are you feeling okay, doctor Eggman?"

"Doctor Eggman?! WHERE!?" The doctor discarded his plate and hopped onto his feet, ears perked and eyes wide as they scanned for threats. "WHY AM I HERE!?" he jabbed an accusing finger toward the two robots, "WHERE'S SONIC?! DID ROBOTNIK CAPTURE ME AGAIN?!?!"

"Oh dear..." Orbot sighed and palmed his face.

"Are his brains acting up again?" Cubot enquired, the two bots watching in concern as the fox flopped onto his rear and began sucking his thumb, now leaving 'Tails mode' and reverting to 'tiny child' mode.

"Yes, I believe so..." Orbot hovered over to the discombobulated fox and lightly took a yellow hand in his. "Come along sir, let's go and sort your brain out..."

"Can I have a chocolate milk, mister robot?"

"Of course sir..."


	8. Evil Tails Grows Up

The great Doctor Ivo 'Eggfox' Robotnik cackled behind the modified controls of his eggmobile, raising his hands into the air in triumph as his lasers sighted over his long-time nemeses.

"AHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!" The mad, goggled and red-uniformed fox giggled like a demented child, Sonic and Tails glaring defiantly up at their greatest enemy as he backed them into a tight alleyway, "I'VE DONE IT!! I FINALLY HAVE YOU, SONIC AND TAILS!!!"

"You won't get away with this, _Eggman!!_ " Sonic cried, adopting a combat stance and preparing to continue the fight.

"Ah-ah-ah..." The crazy fox leaned over his console, raising his goggles and waggling a finger back and forth. "I believe I made my new moniker clear?"

"Dude, we are _not_ calling you Egg. Fox." Miles 'Tails' Prower, twin-tailed fox, best friend and honorary brother of Sonic the hedgehog, angrily pointed at his red-jacketed doppelganger. "You're not even a fox, dude! You're a crazy human in a clone of me!"

Robotnik slammed a fist on his console, crazy eyes glaring at the fox he now resembled identically. "INSOLENCE!!!!! You know, _Fails_ … it's YOUR fault I'm stuck like this, so I suppose you only have yourself to blame!"

"You know egg-face, I think you're a little too into this whole fox-thing you have going on right now..." Sonic jeered, wearing a lopsided grin as he glared up at his foe, "You got anything you want to admit?"

"The only thing I'm willing to admit," Robotnik scowled at the blue hedgehog, baring his canines "Is that my weapons are fully charged, and ready to reduce you to ATOMS!!!!" Robotnik the 'Eggfox' leaned back and leered hungrily at his cornered nemeses, a finger hovering over the firing button of his lasers. "Goodbye, Sonic and T-"

Robotnik was cut off as the communication systems to his Eggmobile began bleeping, sapping all the tension from the encounter.

"Oh, sorry guys, I have to take this..." Robotnik said, "It's my Mombot…"

Sonic and Tails shared incredulous looks as the Eggfox swiped at his monitor.

"Hi Mombot…" the evil fox said.

_"Ivo? Where are you? It's almost supper time, and you still need to have a bath! Do you have any idea what time it is?"_

"Mom-booooooottt…." Robotnik whined, "I'm just about to destroy my arch-nemeseeeeeeeeeeees!!" 

_"No excuses, young man! You get back here and be ready for your bath!"_

"Okay..." Robotnik's communicator bleeped to indicate the call had ended, and he slumped in his seat. "I'm sorry guys, I can't eliminate you right now... Mombot says I gotta go home..."

Sonic and Tails wore bewildered expressions as they shared another look. 

"Uh..." Sonic shrugged, "Okay? Catch you another time, I guess?"

Robotnik grunted sadly, turning his Eggmobile around and hovering away on the vehicle's anti-grav propulsion jets.

The two brothers stared after their departing enemy for a moment, before awkwardly looking to one another.

"So..." Said Sonic, unsure what to do with himself, "What do we do now?"

...

"Ooh, sweetie!" Mombot, the curved pink and red Mechanoid Robotnik himself had built to provide him with unconditional motherly love, scrubbed at her yellow fluffball of a 'son' as he sat miserably in the bathtub. "This new fur conditioner will leave you so _soft_ and _fluffy!_ "

The doctor didn't respond, pouting as he sat submerged in bubbles, arms folded and a ridiculous shower cap containing his ears. 

"Oh, is somebody a moody little mechanoid?" Mombot cooed, scrubbing bubbles into his thick fur.

"Momboooot..." the former human moaned, "I'm not a little kiiiiid!!"

"Oh, you're my little precious ball of fluff!" Mombot replied blissfully, "Now, let's get you out and dried off and you can join your brother for supper!"

"Ack!" Robotnik squeaked as he was lifted from the bathtub and deposited on the tiled floor, dripping like a wet dishcloth.

...

"I'm not a little kid..." The doctor muttered, sat on his sofa with the tv flickering, episodes of Thruster the Big Red Rocket playing on the cartoons channel. "I'm not..."

"Woah, dude!" Morpho, the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension, gleefully entered the room and laughed at Robotnik's expense, "You are, like, the fluffiest thing I've seen in my life!!"

The Eggfox glared at his 'brother', yellow fur poofed out to ridiculous extremes now it had dried. "No I'm not, _Steve!!"_

"Toootally are, little dude..." 'Steve' flopped onto the sofa, chucking a handful of chips into his mouth. "Like Mombot says... you're _such a pwecious fwuffy boy!_ "

Robotnik clenched his fists and scowled petulantly. "Shut up, _Steeeeeeeeeeve!_ "

"Uh, my name's Morpho?" The Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension said, blond moustache twitching, "Just remember that, _Evil Fails._ "

The two 'brothers' blew raspberries at one another, before their attention was diverted by a heavily accented synthetic voice.

"Ivo? Morpho? I'm powering down for the night!" Mombot called from the entrance to the room, "Morpho, make sure your brother is in bed before ten!"

"Okay, Mombot..."

"And he brushes his teeth!"

"Yes, Mombot..."

And don't leave the lights on!"

" _Yes, okay_ Mombot!!"

Mombot clattered over to her boys and opened her telescopic arms. "Now boys, give your old Mombot a hug!"

Ivo and Morpho complied, giving their Mombot a squeeze.

"Eskimo kisses, Ivo!"

"Mombooooot..."

"Eskimo kisses for Moooommyyy!"

Ivo grumbled as he relented, unenthusiastically rubbing his own black nose with her olfactory sensor node.

"Night night, my boys!" Mombot clacked her hands together, and tottered out of the room.

Morpho waited until Mombot was safely out of earshot, and then shot an evil grin to his 'little brother'.

"Ooh, _eskimo kisses for moooommyyyyyy!!!_ " The blond-mulleted copy of Eggman's old human form mocked gleefully, "Mwah! Mwah! MWAH!"

Robotnik looked as though he might explode, fur poofing out ridiculously as he clenched his fists. "SHUT UP, _STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_ "

"Woah, little dude!" Morpho (That Shapeshifting Robot guy From a Dimension that is Another) cackled at his little brother's petulance, "Take it easy, fluffball!"

"Don't call me that!" the fluffy ball of fluffy fluff retorted, fluffily "I'm a maniacal evil genius! Not some little child to be fawned over!!"

Morpho shrugged and gestured toward the tv. "If you're soooo 'not a little kid', why are we watching cartoons?"

Robotnik tensed for a moment, fur poofing out even more, before releasing a dejected sigh. 

"Because..." He explained, "while I have retained my experience and knowledge... this brain is cloned from a child's. I can't help but... lapse into these episodes of childlike behaviour..." He gestured to himself sadly. "Some evil genius, huh? I'm small, fuzzy, and... _cute..._ how am I supposed to ever be a recognised and respected mastermind ever again like this?"

The Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension (Morpho) shrugged. "I dunno dude, it's a shame you can't just age yourself up a little, like people do in all those weird fanfics you read..."

Ivo shot his brother look of utter outrage. "WHAT?!?! HAVE YOU BEEN AT MY COMPUTER?!?!? I'LL... I'll..."

Ivo slowed in his raging, and appeared to consider for a moment.

"Hey... Morpho?"

The Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension in question looked uncertainly to the fluffy yellow fox that had once been an alternate version of his human creator. "Uh... yeah?"

"You..." Ivo rose to his feet, padding over the sofa toward his bigger brother. "Are... a GENIUS!!!!"

Ivo smacked his bigger brother on the head with a sloppy kiss, causing Morpho to recoil in (Morpho is a Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension) disgust.

"EW!!! Dude, what the heck?!"

"I may not be able to escape this body..." Robotnik mused, considering his own clawed and paw-padded hands with calculating fascination, "But... I may be able to physically age it up... return myself to an adult status!!!"

Morpho's own brain worked, and a grin formed on his face. "You're gonna build an ager-upper machine aren't you?"

Ivo nodded and grinned. "With your help Morpho, we can get it done before breakfast!"

"Oh, dude, SICK!" Morpho hopped up and clenched his fists excitedly. "We're gonna be, like, the best bros EVER!!!"

"Mad science experiment?!" Ivo squeaked.

"Mad science experiment!!" Morpho replied, extending a fist.

Although they squabbled, the two 'brothers' began to work in perfect unison as they constructed their newest ill-thought out scheme.

...

The two Robotnik brothers finished their project in record time, finally standing proudly before the Maturation Machine with matching smug postures.

"So..." Morpho the (Shapeshifting) Robot (From Another Dimension) said, "What age are you gonna go for?"

Ivo rubbed his white muzzle and grinned. "Nothing too mature... I don't want to be _old_ again, after all..." He looked up to his bigger brother and wore a smirk. "How about.... eighteen?"

Morpho grinned back, before becoming a whirlwind of colour... and morphing into a perfect replica of an eighteen year old Robotnik… well, almost perfect. The long, flowing blond hair and handlebar moustache hadn't been possessed by this universe's Robotnik.

"Like this?" The shapeshifter said, smugly placing his fists on his hips.

Robotnik grinned evilly. "Yeah... but furrier, I guess.. and more yellow!"

Morpho smirked. "Yeah, I guess!"

"Okay!" Ivo Robotnik adjusted a dial on their brand new invention, and clapped his small hands. "I suppose it's time to check this thing out!"

Morpho raised an eyebrow, after tossing his glorious blond locks over a shoulder. "You don't wanna test it out on something else first?"

"Fortune favours the bold, Morpho!" Ivo squeaked, hopping inside the cylindrical tank-like machine, "See you on the other side!"

Morpho offered his 'brother' a confident thumbs-up, before Ivo slammed the door shut... and the machine began to hum with power.

Energy poured into the machine, white light spilling out from the cracks in the door... before a harsh SNAP resounded throughout Robotnik's laboratory, and lightning slashed around the hastily-constructed contraption. Morpho flinched, covering his eyes... before the smell of burned meat singed his nostrils, and the door swung open...

"Uuuugh…" A raspier, older voice more akin to that once possessed by the middle-aged doctor, accompanied the taller figure that stumbled through the smoke. "Did it work?"

Morpho, the Robot of Shapeshifting ability who hailed from Another Dimension, grinned. "Lookin' good, little bro!"

The shapeshifting robot was met with a malevolent, carnivorous leer. "I don't believe..." The once-again reconstituted Robotnik took in his altered, matured form, seemingly pleased with the results of their experiment, "That 'little' quite befits me, any more!"

"Yeah whatever..." Morpho reached out and roughly patted thick, wavy yellow-orange head-fur, "You're still shorter than me, dude!"

"Sh... SHUT UP _STEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE_ "

...

The midday sun was reaching its zenith, blazing down upon the sandy shores of Bygone Island as Team Sonic lazily soaked up the rays. The five friends were arranged on deck chairs and sun loungers, the weather too hot today for much more exertion.

"I think..." Sonic muttered, wiping sweat from his brow, "I need a trim..."

" _You_ need a trim?" Tails, the fluffy fox doing his best to hide beneath the cover of a large parasol, looked as though he were about to pass out. "I... I can't breathe..."

"hmmmmm..." A sleeping Knuckles muttered, hands clasped over his abdomen as he dozed, "Sausagezzzzz…."

"Boys..." Amy looked up from her magazine, her and Sticks both wearing shades and soaking up the sun like a pair of roast potatoes, "Can we quit complaining and just enjoy the weather?"

"Such babies..." Sticks grinned, teasing the two brothers.

"Goo goo..." Sonic muttered, attempting to riff along, too hot to put much effort into it.

"Hey!" Tails jerked up and, sweating through his fluff, pointed angrily at the badger. "Don't call me a baby! I'm not a little kid!"

"Well..." A far too familiar voice butted into the discussion, demanding the entirety of Team Sonic's attention, "Hello there, children!"

" _Hey chef..._ " Knuckles mumbled in his sleep.

Sonic and Tails wore matching expressions of bewilderment, while Amy and Sticks simply dropped their jaws and gawped.

Before them, striking matching supervillain poses, Ivo and Morpho Robotnik glared evilly at the heroes. Morpho, blue jacketed and in possession of impressively long blond Glam-Metal locks, now assumed the appearance of a much younger, hairier facsimile of his dimension's Doctor Robotnik.

Eggman himself... now stood a proud four-foot seven, clad in a cut-down variant of his usual red uniform to cope with the heat, now in possession of the lean-muscled, athletic and _adult_ form of a Mobian fox… his usual evil leer unnervingly disturbing on the fully-grown face of Miles Prower.

Tails croaked and his eyes bulged as he took in the full-grown facsimile of himself. "Jeez... what have you done to yourself _this_ time, egg-breath?"

Robotnik slumped. "Oh, I don't know, diet, exercise..." In this form, Robotnik's voice was horribly reminiscent of both an older Tails, and his own human cadence. "I aged myself, you contemptible canine!!! What does it look like?!"

"I guess the little guy ain't as smart as he thinks, huh bro?" chimed in Morpho, a smirk plastered over the face of the teenage Ivo Robotnik.

"Children..." agreed the doctor, glaring maliciously beneath his goggles, "Pathetic!"

"W... Whu?!?" Knuckles woke with a start, eyeing the pair of Robotniks with bemusement. "Huh. Did Evil Tails get into my protein shakes?"

"What are you doing here, fox-breath?" Sonic said, hopping from his seat and striking a defensive posture, Tails and Knuckles following suit. "Come for a fight?"

"Ha!" Robotnik set his fists on his hips, classic Eggman leer plastered over his white muzzle. Morpho adopted the same posture, the two appearing like warped siblings. "In this heat? Please..." He began idly flexing one hand, clicking the claws against one another as though the present situation was beneath him.

"We're just two super cool bros hangin' out, you get me?" Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension said, stroking his handlebar moustache, "Doing _adult_ stuff?"

"We wouldn't expect you _children_ to understand!" Eggman added. He frowned beneath his goggles as he glanced at Amy and Sticks, the two girls still immobile. "What are you two gawping at?!"

The two females appeared startled, before hissing and giggling in one anothers' ears.

"So what _are_ you up to?" Sonic, still wary of the now-taller form of his longtime nemesis, nevertheless stood down and relaxed a little. "Aside from gloating?"

" _We_ are going into town, so I can display my new, formidable countenance, and strike fear into the hearts of the pathetic creatures that dwell within!!!" Robotnik raised his hands and cackled, twin tails slashing and pointed teeth on full display in that classic Eggman leer that was so _alien_ on his present face.

"And dude, we totally gotta hit the bar!" Morpho added, "Have a little sesh, you know what I'm sayin'?"

"Bro, I am _on board!"_

"Just get out of here, egg-face!" Tails, again uncomfortable in his doppelganger's presence, eyed the taller fox with distaste. "I don't like looking at you like... _this..._ "

"Pssssh…" Robotnik waved away the young inventor's accusatory tone, looking down at Tails condescendingly. "What do you know? You're just..." The Eggfox, taller now than Tails, leaned over and sneered. "A _little kid!_ "

Tails clenched his fists, looking like he were about to explode as Eggfox reared back to his full, enchanced height of less-than-five-feet tall.

"Anyway... I think it's about time I introduce myself to the townsfolk!" Robotnik said, again setting his fists on his skinny hips. "Allow them to see the perfectly-conditioned instrument of their destruction for themselves!"

"Dude, we're gonna knock 'em dead, bro!"

"Ta-ta, _children!_ "

With that, Morpho and Ivo Robotnik turned and began to trudge across the sand, leaving a bewildered Team Sonic staring after them.

"Should we..." Knuckles said awkwardly, "Go... after them?"

"I dunno…" said Sonic, rubbing his chin, "Old egg-face has kind of a weird identity crisis going on right now... I kinda don't wanna get involved..."

"I heard that..." Mumbled Tails.

"Well," Amy, still giggling with Sticks, wore an incredulous expression as they watched the once again reconstituted doctor disappear toward the village, "It's kinda fun to watch him leave..."

Sonic jerked and glared wide eyed at the pink hedgehog. "What the heck is THAT supposed to mean?"

"I don't get it..." said Tails, as the two girls cackled with mischievous laughter.

"Neither do I..." muttered Knuckles, "But Evil Tails has a nice butt!"

...

Ivo Robotnik wore a malevolent grin as he strutted through the village, highly aware of the points and stares he was receiving. Villagers turned and whispered to their neighbours, people stepped back wide eyed, and he felt a surge of pride at his accomplishment.

"Ha!" The doctor jeered to his brother, as the younger facsimile of blond human Eggman strut beside him, "They're terrified of me! The smell of intimidation lingers in the very air surrounding these miserable creatures!! I knew that adding a few points into strength and athleticism would pay off!"

"Uh, yeah..." Morpho replied, unconvinced as he glanced at a pair of young women ogling the doctor's butt. "I... don't think that's intimidation, dude..."

"Huh?" Robotnik turned and glared at his shapeshifting robot brother from another dimension, brow furrowing beneath the red goggles. "What are you blathering about? Have you _seen_ this reconstituted form?! I'm agile! Strong! Vicious! And powerful!!! My very presence disarms my enemies!!!"

"Uh huh, dude..." Morpho responded, "Whatever you say..."

Robotnik glared at him. "Don't believe me?! I'll prove it!!!" The doctor turned and approached an elderly wolf-lady situated behind a wooden drinks stall, leaning on the counter. "You there!! Old... grandma... wolf person! I demand you hand me a beverage THIS INSTANT!!!"

The elderly woman looked him over hungrily. "Oh my, of course! Anything for a handsome, strapping young man such as yourself, dear!"

Robotnik turned and pointed triumphantly at Morpho as the shapeshifter approached. "HA!!! I told you!! My very being commands instant compli- wait, what"

Morpho took the drinks from the lady and smirked as he flipped her a few coins. "Thanks, ma'am!" he grabbed Robotnik by the arm and dragged him away. "come here, you..."

Morpho dragged his former human, presently fox-ified brother into the space between a pair of shacks, grinning mischievously as Robotnik scratched at his head in puzzlement.

"Dude..." Morpho said, downing his drink in one go, "do you have any idea what's going on here?"

"I don't understand!" the doctor whined, glaring at his own hands in bewilderment, "I'm supposed to be intimidating! She was supposed to cower in fear, not butter me up! Is the old bat senile?!"

"Dude..." Morpho reached out and shook his shorter, fuzzier brother by the shoulders. "You. Got it. Goin' _on!!_ "

Robotnik offered him a blank stare. "What. What do I have going on."

"Agh, listen to me!" Morpho shook him again, a plan forming in his brain, "You turned yourself into a damn fox-Adonais, dude! All these people? They think you're cool!!"

The monkeys inside Robotnik's brain went wild attempting to process this information.

"People think... I'm _cool?_ "

Morpho's face split into a wide grin. "Yeah, dude!! And If we do this right... you and me? We could be cooler... than Sonic!"

Robotnik's mouth flopped open, arms and tails slumping. "Cooler... than _Sonic?_ But... To what purpose?"

"The perfect revenge!" Morpho replied, "Instead of destroying the little blue booger, wouldn't it be better to... replace him?"

Robotnik's face scrunched, before realization sparked in his eyes and his classic Eggman leer stretched across his raggedy white muzzle.

"I... like the way you think, Morpho!" He tapped at his chin, twin tails flicking thoughtfully. "I've never been 'cool' before though... what do I do?"

"Dude, we just got to fix you up a little... come here..."

Morpho fussed with his shorter fox-brother's appearance, until he had sufficiently 'cool-ified' him. Robotnik now stood, the collar of his uniform jacket popped, sleeves rolled, and white chestfur tufting from the unbuttoned jacket, head fur quiffed and held in place with the green goggles he habitually wore.

"Okay... that should do for the look..." Morpho said thoughtfully, stroking his blond moustache.

"I feel so undignified..." Robotnik muttered, scratching at his bare arms, "So what now?"

"Now..." Morpho replied, flashing a sly grin, "Watch and learn, little dude!"

Robotnik followed eagerly as Morpho strutted back out into the street, and did his best to appear 'cool'. 

_"Oh my... is that Eggman?!"_

_"I thought he was supposed to be a little kid now?"_

_"Honey, that ain't no kid..."_

_"Oh no, he's hot!"_

Robotnik couldn't believe it as the hushed comments reached his more sensitive ears. People actually... thought he was _cool?!_

This was unprecedented. He... was enjoying the attention.

"Just follow my lead..." Morpho hissed into his ear, as the two brothers approached the women from earlier.

"Hey girls..." Morpho, smooth as butter, leaned on a nearby lamppost and set his free hand on a hip, "Name's Morpho, Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension... this is my bro, Ive… what's goin' on?"

The girls glanced to one another, giggling as they looked over the two males.

"Nothing much..." one girl giggily replied.

"What brings you boys out?" the other added.

'Ive' Robotnik squeaked as his brother nudged him in the ribs, understanding this was his prompt. 

_Act cool. You can do it! You can do it... you can do it... what would Sonic do?_

With this in mind, Robotnik relaxed his posture, set his hands on his hips, and flashed that lopsided grin the infuriating blue hedgehog wore so easily.

"Oh, y'know..." 'Ive' Robotnik said nonchalantly, tails swishing behind him, "Just two young dudes, hangin' out... y'know how it is..."

"Are you really _Eggman?!"_ one girl said, looking him over with fascination.

"Yup..." The fox replied, acting skills in full play as he adopted the same easy charm as his hated blue enemy, "Though it's Egg _fox_ now... I dunno if you girls noticed, but I'm a little... different, these days..."

"I'll say..." the girl fluttered her eyelashes... and Ivo Robotnik realised something. He was being _flirted_ with.

When the heck had that last happened?

"Uh... I..." The foxified, again youthful doctor stammered, "Uh..."

Luckily he was rescued from his awkward disposition by a well-timed distraction.

_"MY BABY!!"_

The party turned to find a middle aged walrus lady pointing in terror at her child... as the infant hung precariously on a very fragile looking tree branch.

_"Somebody save my baby!!!!"_

"DUDE!!!" Morpho punched Robotnik in the arm and grinned wide. "That's our cue!"

The doctor frowned. "What? What do you mean?"

"Fox-hole, you're replacing Sonic!! And what does Sonic do?"

Robotnik processed the inference for a moment, before copying his inter-dimensional robot brother's temperament, face splitting into a malicious sneer.

"Don't worry, ma'am!" The fox boomed loudly and adopting a heroic stance, "I'll save that baby!"

He tapped at his wrist mounted gauntlet and aimed it at the infant, a blue beam streaking out to encase the child in a bubble of electricity. Robotnik guided the beam down, said child giggling as he was returned to his mother's arms.

A crowd had gathered around the incident, watching in awe as the new Doctor Robotnik heroically set his hands on his hips.

"Oh my..." Walrus lady clutched her child tight and set a hand on her heart, "Thank you!!"

"Not a problem, ma'am!" Robotnik offered a casual salute.

"SOMEBODY! HELP!!" Ivo and Morpho turned to now find a wooden building ablaze, old Grandma-Wolf frantically gesturing to the structure. "THE COMBINED ORPHANAGE AND ABANDONED PUPPY SANCTUARY IS ON FIRE!!!!"

Ivo and Morpho Robotnik glanced to one another, and fell into action hero positions.

"Morpho?" 'Ive' grinned, "I think I could use your assistance with this one!"

"On it, hero-bro!" Morpho transformed into a whirlwind of colour, before reforming around the twin-tailed form of his brother... becoming a suit of thick armour, utterly proof against the flames.

Robotnik looked over his new protection approvingly. " _Groovy..._ " He then clenched his fists and turned to address the crowd. "Don't worry, citizens! We'll handle this!!!"

Without another word, Robotnik sprinted toward the blaze and entered the flames.

...

"Okay, folks..." Sonic skidded to a halt, flanked by his teammates as the heroes finally reached the site of the emergency, "Don't panic! Team Sonic's here to put out this... fire..."

The party stood, confused as they observed the now smoking ruins of the orphanage/puppy sanctuary... their inhabitants now clustered in the middle of a large crowd of villagers, surrounding their saviours.

"Sonic?" Amy said lightly, "I think somebody beat us to it!"

Sonic hummed, surprised that for once his team hadn't been fast enough to reach the emergency. He shrugged and grinned anyway, simply glad everybody seemed to be uninjured. "Well, I guess we better go congratulate our mysterious new friends!" 

The team were met with the sounds of awe-struck villagers musing over the new heroes in town.

"Oh my..."

"So brave..."

"And handsome!"

"Dreamy..."

"Did you see him carry all those children and puppies to safety?"

"And then buy ice cream for all the kids?! What a guy!"

"Hey everyone..." Sonic said loudly, gaining the attention of the villagers as they shifted aside, "Who do we have to thank for taking care of business..."

He trailed off as his eyes landed on exactly who stood at the center of all the attention.

"Sonic..." Tails mumbled, fur bristling and fists clenching.

"HYAH!" Sticks flipped into a battle-ready stance, glaring at the Robotnik brothers with her teeth bared, "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!?"

Ivo and Morpho Robotnik, surrounded by awestruck children and tiny puppies, two voluptuous young women hanging from their arms, grinned maliciously at the sight of their long time enemies.

"Well well!" Ivo jeered, standing confidently with hands on hips, "Looks like somebody was _too slow!_ "

"What are you up to, egg-face?" Tails retorted, anger over his features as he glared at the eighteen-year-old facsimile of himself, "Did you cause this mess?"

"Dude, and I thought the little guy was supposed to be smart?!" Morpho chuckled, swishing his long blond mane of hair.

Robotnik sneered. "Ha! No way, dude! _We_ saved the day this time!"

"Wait, what?" Knuckles scratched at his skull, dreadlock-spines swinging as his head tilted, "Evil Tails saved all these kids? And puppies?!?"

"Is that true, Eggman?" Amy said curiously.

The doctor and his shapeshifting robot brother flashed matching grins, and stood back-to-back. "That's right! Say hello to the newest heroes in town... Team Robotnik!"

"Heroes?!" Tails screeched.

"Are you kidding me!?" Agreed Sticks.

Sonic didn't know how to respond to the posturing siblings, simply flapping his mouth open slightly. "You're... heroes now?"

"That's right!" Eggfox leaned forward and grinned maliciously. "So you'd better watch out, Sonic! You might find yourselves out of a job!" the doctor snapped his fingers in the air. "Morpho! Let's head back to Team Robotnik HQ... in _style!_ "

"You got it, bro!" Morpho became a whirlwind yet again, this time transforming into a very large and powerful motorcycle. Robotnik hopped into the seat, lowered his goggles, and flashed that grin to the surrounding villagers. "Ever find yourselves in trouble, folks... Just call the coolest heroes in town!"

With that, Morpho the motorcycle roared and the Robotniks vanished in a cloud of dust, to the cheers of the praising townsfolk.

"HEY!!" Tails, along with the rest of Team Sonic, coughed as they were left in the dirt, "What a jerk!"

"My new dress!" squealed Amy, batting at her now filthy magenta outfit (that was identical to every other outfit she owned), "What the heck, Eggman?!"

"AGH! Well..." coughed Knuckles, "Looks like Team Knuckles has some new competition in town..."

"No way!" replied Sticks, wafting dust from her face, "There's no chance that egg-for-brains is being serious!"

Sonic just stared after his departing nemesis, jaw set. "You're right, Sticks... there's no way this is genuine... Eggman has an angle, and it's up to us to figure it out!"

"Yeah!" cried Tails, trading a fist bump with his big bro, "I bet we can figure out his scheme in no time!!"

"Until then, team..." Knuckles said confidently, fists on hips, "Team Knuckles should just go on, business as usual! Under my handsome and charismatic leadership!"

"Knuckles..." Sonic sighed, "How many times do I... y'know what? Never mind. Let's just go home and wait this out..."

And so Team Sonic departed, ready to wait and find out exactly what it was their long-time nemesis was planning.

...

"Ugh..." Sonic spread himself out on the sofa, lazily sweating in the hot summer heat. The tv flickered silently before him, for the moment being ignored. "I'm so bored..."

Beside him, Tails finished fiddling with an old toaster, reassembling it and setting on the coffee table. He stared at it gloomily before throwing his hands up in defeat. "That's it! I have officially run out of gadgets, devices, appliances, doodads, thingamajigs, and hoozits to repair! I've fixed everything there is to fix!"

"How long's it been, a week?" Sonic leaned over and rested his head on the arm of the sofa, "With egg-head and his stupid brother taking all the hero work... there's nothing to do! I think I'm gonna go nuts!"

"What do you think his angle is?" Tails replied, slumping far back into his seat and nudging the toaster with a foot.

"I don't know, little buddy..." Sonic replied, reaching limply for a can of soda, "I'm... kinda worried..."

A yellow head cocked, triangular ears perking. "About what?"

"Well... it's just..." Sonic sat up and hitching into a cross-legged position, "what if he's genuine? About being a hero?"

"You can't be serious..." Tails replied, "After last time, you wanna let him fool us again? There's something more to this..." the fox frowned and stared at his recently repaired appliance thoughtfully, the tv flickering quietly in the background. "And I wanna figure it out..."

_"And now for our special guests, Team Robotnik!"_

"Wait, what?!" both Sonic and Tails' ears pricked at the sound from the tv, Sonic gesturing wildly at the screen. "Turn it up! Turn it up!!"

Tails complied, briefly juggling the remote before thumbing the volume control.

_"Soar the Eagle here, and today on Bygone Island Live, we have the two newest and coolest heroes to hit the Hedgehog Village Scene in quite some time... you may know them as Doctor Ivo 'Eggfox' Robotnik the Fox and Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension! Say hello to the audience, gentlemen!"_

Sonic and Tails bristled as, to the sound of enthusiastic applause in a well lit talk-show studio, the red and blue jacketed forms of their newest rivals shook hands with the charismatic eagle, and arranged themselves in their designated seats.

" _Coolest?!_ Sonic said disbelievingly.

"Ivo Robotnik… _The Fox?!_ " Tails gripped the remote as though strangling it. 

_"So, gentlemen..."_ the eagle went on, _"You guys have made quite an impression on the citizens of the island since your big debut last week!"_

_"True that, bro!"_

_"Dude, don't we know it!"_

_"And it seems like the big question on everybody's minds... is why you boys decided to flip from supervillainy to heroism?"_

_"Well, Soar..."_ Robotnik, clad in ridiculously tight pants and a short red jacket that exposed his ample chest fur and skinny midriff, adjusted his quiffed head fur and rested easily in his chair, twin tails splayed around booted feet, _"You see... when I became a fox, I realised... I have a whole new life ahead of me, y'know? And so... why not try somethin' new? The supervillain thing... it's cool an' all, but I think the kids today need somethin' to look up to, am I right?"_

_"Yeah, dude..."_ Morpho, sleeveless blue jacket showing his biceps and long flowing blond hair resting over each shoulder like a sheet, added. _"When you're as cool as this? You're wasted on villainy! Cool guys don't terrorize people and try to destroy the world! That's no good!"_

_"That's no good!"_ chimed in his fox-brother. 

_"I see..."_ Responded the eagle, Sonic and Tails watching in outrage, _"And how do you boys respond to accusations by Team Sonic that you are secretly planning some kind of villainous scheme under the cover of suddenly pretending to be protectors of the people?"_

Ivo snapped his fingers, as though deep in thought. _"Team Sonic... Team Sonic... oh, I remember them!"_

 _"Old news, dude..."_ Morpho waved a dismissive hand.

 _"Well, if that's how they feel then I guess that's their right..."_ Robotnik replied, casually twizzling the end of a tail, _"But my bro's right, they're old news. We're here now, and we're the best at what we do, and people dig it, man!"_

_"Oh, I believe people dig it! What do you think, audience?"_

The studio audience, a significant portion of whom were female, went wild, screaming in adoration for their new heroes.

 _"I think their opinion of Team Robotnik is rather clear!"_ Chuckled the Eagle, the two brothers seemingly glowing with the worship.

 _"Can you blame 'em?!"_ Morpho replied, flexing his sleeveless biceps, _"Can you think of any two bros as cool as Morpho and Ivo Robotnik?"_

 _"No, bro!"_ the doctor replied, nonchalantly opening his short jacket a little to display his athletic build, _"I can't think of ANY two brothers as cool as Ivo and Morpho Robotnik!"_

The studio audience went nuts again, before the tv flickered off and the screen went black.

"I think that's enough of that..." muttered Tails through grit teeth, remote in hand.

"You said it, buddy..." Sonic agreed darkly, folding his arms, "Just who do those guys they think they are?!"

"Apparently, they think they're rock stars..." grunted Tails. 

"Well, little buddy..." Sonic stood from his seat and set his jaw defiantly, "We won't let them outshine us, right? We're Sonic and Tails! Butt-kickers extraordinaire!!"

"I don't know, Sonic... people kinda seem hot for those two right now..."

"Pfft, it's just a fad! We've been going for years! All we need is that one call to get us back in the game, and people'll remember Team Sonic ain't no bunch a' zeroes!!"

Right on cue, the brothers' wrist-mounted communicators began bleeping in alert.

Sonic grinned. "See?! I bet this is a client calling us for important hero work right now!"

...

"Let me get this straight..." Sonic said dejectedly, minutes later, clutching a mop. "You want us to... clean the toilets?"

Dave, the eternal intern of the local burger joint, nodded. "The cleaner phoned in sick, and I heard you guys needed the work..."

"Are you serious?!" Tails protested, glaring at the rubber gloves in his right hand, "We're heroes, not janitors!"

"Hey, mopping bathrooms is heroic work!" Dave replied, "People need a place to do their business after eating our... well..." The intern performed finger quotes. "Food!"

"Then why don't you do it?" Sonic said sourly.

"I'm on break..." with that, the intern turned and left them to it, the two brothers looking around their new workspace with melancholy.

"Well..." Tails grumbled, stuffing one end of his own mop into the bucket, "It's a long way to the bottom..."

...

"Ahh..." Ivo Robotnik, shirtless and eyes obscured by obnoxious shades as he leaned back in a reclining chair in the VIP section of Meh' Burger, sighed blissfully, "This is the life..."

"Dude..." Morpho replied, face down as he received a professional massage, "you said it, bro..."

"You know what, Morpho?" the doctor gestured his burger to his prone brother as two women from the local spa worked on the shapeshifter's back, "Getting myself stuck in this body is the best thing that ever happened to me... I may have had to spend a few weeks as a child, but now look... I'm young, fit, dashingly handsome, and popular... who knew being a hero could be so rewarding?"

"Yeah..." mumbled his brother, "Told you my idea would work..."

Robotnik tensed, leaning up and removing his shades. "Um, excuse me dude? _Your_ idea?"

Morpho turned on his massage bed, glaring at the doctor. "Uh, yeah! Remember it was me who suggested replacing Sonic as the cool hero in town?"

"Hey!" Ivo stood and glared back at his brother, "f I didn't build that damn Maturation Machine, none of this good fortune would have happened!"

"Dude, that was MY idea too!!" Morpho also stood, moving to protest against Ivo.

"Was NOT!!! I acutely remember suggesting aging myself first!!"

"Dude, you're full of BS!!"

" _You're_ full of BS!!! And you're just jealous that all the chicks dig ME!!"

"Well... are we interrupting something?"

The Robotnik brothers ceased in their bickering and turned to find Sonic and Tails, dripping with sweat and protective cleaning garments covered with filth, staring daggers at them.

The two Robotniks shared a sly grin, temporary truce forming before turning their spite on their present company.

Oh..." Ivo snapped his claws together, frowning as though thinking hard, "ah... _Speedy_ , right? The... Porcupine?"

"Looks more like some kinda… needle-mouse to me, bro!" Chuckled Morpho.

"Oh, and who's this?!" Ivo leaned over and sneered at the sight of Tails. "Well hi! Must be a fan! Great cosplay!"

"What the heck are you up to, fox-breath?" Sonic said, setting a hand on his brother's shoulder before Tails could explode with outrage. 

"What?" Robotnik said innocently, "We're just a couple of cool heroes, hangin' out and waiting for the call of these good townsfolk!"

"Is that a crime, bro?" put in Morpho.

"Last I checked, no!"

"Bullcrap, _Eggman!!_ " Tails squeaked, pointing an accusing finger at the taller fox, "There's no way you would do something good without an ulterior motive! We _know_ you too well!!"

"Well!" chuckled Robotnik, "you're right about that, Tails! Congratulations!"

"HA!!" Tails cried triumphantly, "I knew it!!!"

"So what's the scheme, egg-lord?" Sonic said, preparing for a fight, "What evil things are you planning?"

"Well, Sonic..." the fox-ified form of the doctor, so unnervingly like Tails _and_ Robotnik, leered as he looked down on the shorter blue hedgehog, "You see... I think I might actually _like_ this hero lark! All the worship, the adoration... people _love_ me like this! I have become the coolest hero this island has ever seen!!!"

"Uh, dude..." Morpho said, unamused, "Coolest _heroes_ this island has ever seen?"

"Yeah yeah, sure..." Ivo waved away his brother's comments, his attention focused entirely on tormenting his long-time enemy. His tails swished like snakes, malicious grin stretching wider beneath his crazy blue eyes, "Isn't it poetic, Sonic? That after so long of being a villain, trying to defeat you, failing every time... ultimately, I _replace_ you as the most beloved hero ever? Isn't that just... deliciously sweet revenge?!"

Sonic set his jaw determinedly. "There's no way you are as cool a hero as me, Robotnik! This is a stupid phase, people will come around eventually!"

"I don't know, _little buddy..._ " Robotnik said condescendingly, lowering himself close enough to the other Mobians' heights that the individual hairs on his face could be picked out, "but keep it up, kiddos! Maybe someday you two can be heroes, just like u- OOOOOWW!!"

Everybody jumped as the Eggfox clutched his back, teeth bared in pain and tails arching.

"Woah, dude!" Morpho bent to help his yellow-orange brother back to his feet, "You okay there, bro?"

"Ung..." Ivo Robotnik grimaced as he steadied himself back up, scowling as Sonic and Tails laughed at his ill-timed misfortune. "Just a twinge..."

"Ha!" laughed Tails, "Does your back ache, _old man?_ "

"Shut up!!" 

"Come on, dude..." Said Morpho, slipping back into his sleeveless blue jacket, let's leave these stink-bombs to cleaning toilets!"

"Heh, yeah..." Robotnik straightened up, his back twinging slightly, and leered at the two brothers. "Smell ya later, _kids!!_ "

"Bite me, faker!" Sonic called after the retreating brothers. He glared in their direction as they left, before nudging his own younger brother. "Replace us... really? egg-head's brains must be pretty scrambled if he thinks he can pull that off!"

"Yeah..." replied Tails, rubbing his white muzzle as though a thought had struck him. "Pretty well scrambled..."

"HEY!!!"

Sonic and Tails jerked as Dave the intern stomped over the VIP section.

"You guys aren't supposed to be here!! You're supposed to be scrubbing bathrooms!!! You guys have to get back to work before my boss kills me!!!"

"Yeah yeah, relax dude..." replied Sonic, "We cleaned your dumb toilet already..."

"Toilet?"

"Yeah."

"As in _one?_ 2

"Yup."

"You know you're supposed to clean them _all_ , right?"

"......................... Uh, we took an early break?"

"GET BACK IN THERE BEFORE I GET FIRED!!!!"

Meanwhile, Tails ignored the exchange as he considered the grey hairs he'd spotted in Robotnik's fur... and the misfortune the buffonish doctor now potentially faced.

He grinned to himself and hoped his sudden theory was right.

...

In the kitchen of the Robotnik Lair/household, Mombot and Orbot were busily fussing with steaming pans and trays of robot food, preparing dinner for their robot family. The curved maternal machine bent over to inspect an oven filled with meat and vegetables - organic food for the flesh and blood Ivo Robotnik.

"Here you are, Mombot!" Said Orbot happily, "The plasteel steaks are all ready, and beaten to perfection!"

"Oh, thank you dear!" Mombot replied, retrieving the metallic slabs of mechanoid 'nutrition' "You're such a help!"

"Not a bother, Mombot! It's a shame some _other people_ are too _preoccupied_ to shift a servo!"

"Heh!" Morpho, the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension, happily tapped away at a gamepad, feet up on the table, Cubot beside him with the other controller. "Who's he talkin' about, Metal?"

Metal Sonic Mark Two, slouched in a nearby, released a disinterested bleep, again ignoring his surroundings as he tapped away at a cell phone.

"Boys!" Mombot called, setting up plates in the kitchen, "Where's Ivo? Dinner's nearly ready!"

"Upstairs, Mombot…" replied Morpho, "Prettying himself up..."

"Well go and fetch him please! I expect all of you boys to have dinner at home tonight!"

"Mombooot…" groaned Morpho, "I'm a little _busy_ here..."

"No buts, Morpho!"

Morpho slapped his controller onto the sofa beside a delighted Cubot, "Okaaaaay..."

The blue-jacketed, blond-locked shapeshifter trudged moodily through the lab, reaching the presently locked bathroom. He rapped at the door. "Come on, fox-hole... get your tails out here! Mombot says its time for chow!"

_"Go away! I'm busy!"_

"Jeez dude, how long you gonna be in there?!"

_"None of your damn business, _Steve!!_ "_

Morpho shrugged, turning to head back to his video game. "Whatever, jerk..." 

...

Ivo Robotnik, once again eighteen and self-obsessed, busily styled his own fur, battling with the well-groomed fuzz after an excessively long shower. He shrugged into his short jacket, chest fluff sticking out, and fussed at his quiff. He grinned wolfishly, finally satisfied with his appearance.

Cool. For the first time in his life... Ivo Robotnik was cool! He was a beloved hero... while Sonic the Hedgehog was scrubbing toilets! It was perfect! It was better than perfect!! It was ASTOUNDING!!!

It had taken the destruction of his human form and his internment in that of one of the creatures he had tried to destroy for so long... but he no longer cared. He had been old, and bumbling, and incompetent in his destroyed human form. He was better like this. Young! Athletic! Desirable! _BETTER_. So what if he was Mobian, he wasn't planning on returning to the Human Territories ever again anyway.

"Screw you, _Fails!_ " Doctor Ivo 'Eggfox' Robotnik sneered, happily grooming himself in the mirror, "Who says you get to be the only genius twin-tailed fox on the island!? I'm superior to you in every way, you little brat! And now that I am of age, I'll easily make you obsole…"

The doctor trailed off in his monologuing, blue eyes screwing... and his heart skip a beat.

"Is that... a _grey hair?!_ "

Before he could inspect further, he was jerked from his scrutiny by the harsh banging of a steel fist on the bathroom door.

 _"IVO!!"_ Mombot's delicate synthesized tones muffled through the door, _"Your supper is READY!!!"_

"I'm COMING, Mombot!!!" Ivo Robotnik snapped back. He glanced back to the mirror and frowned, leaning in close to check where he thought he had seen the... streak of grey. Nothing. He shrugged, playing it off as a trick of the light, and then turned with a swish of the tails to leave the bathroom.

He strutted through the halls of his lair, happily whistling a tune and jangling the keys to his egg-cycle.

"Ivo?" Mombot turned from the table as her mad-scientist-formerly-human-fox-son passed the kitchen, tottering after him on her metal feet. "Where are you going? Dinner's ready!"

"I told you Mombot, I'm going _out!!!_ "

"Oh no, not tonight! You are going to stay here and eat dinner with your family, young man!!"

"Says who?!" Ivo swung around, moody young adult mode activated.

Mombot set her hands on her hips and glared. "So says your Mombot!!"

Ivo Robotnik spread his arms obnoxiously. "Not a little kid any more, Mombot! You can't tell me what to do no more! An' if I wanna go out, I go out!!"

"Don't you talk to your Mombot like that, mister!!"

"Why not?!" Ivo sneered, sticking his thumbs in his jacket pockets. "It's not like you're my _real mom..._ you're just a robot I built to fulfil that function, after all!"

Mombot gasped and clasped her hands to her mouth. "Ivo... you... I don't believe you just said that..."

"Yeah well, it's true!!" the doctor spat, "And y'know what? I don't need you any more! Or this stinking family!! I'm gonna go off and make it on my own!!! SO LONG!!!!"

Without another word, Ivo Robotnik tossed his Egg-cycle keys and stormed out into the evening, leaving his mombot to break down into mechanical hysterics.

...

Ivo Robotnik kicked the stand to his Egg-cycle, a sleeker, meaner, downsized version of his classic Eggmobile, keyed the ignition, and hopped from the seat. His boots smacked into the dirt and he tucked his thumbs into his belt, tails swishing, eyes obscured by biker goggles as he observed his destination - S. Nootz, Hedgehog Village's premier VIP lounge.

The doctor grinned, flexing a sudden twinge in his shoulder before stomping over the dirt toward the club.

"Doctor Robotnik!" The hippo bodyguard greeted him as he approached, shoving aside other club-goers at the doctor's arrival.

"Hippo Guy!" the two males clasped hands with a mighty smack, and shook very manly-like. "Good to see you, dude!"

"Hey, after you you and your bro saved my daughter from those East-Island mobsters, I ought to be sayin' that to you!!"

The hippo let the fox right in, and Robotnik made a beeline straight for the bar, smoothly gyrating between dancers, shooting winks to the females.

_I. Am. Awesome!!!!"_

Ivo set himself at the bar, baring his teeth in a grin as the bartender approached. 

"Oh hey, Ivo Robotnik! What can I do ya for?"

"Usual, Mike!" Robotnik replied to the ox, leaning on the bar with one arm and sticking his other thumb in the belt of his stupidly tight pants.

"Here ya go, bud! On 'da house!"

"Y'sure about that, Mike?"

"Hey, least I can do for 'da guy who took out 'da gang of marauding bikers who tried 'ta smash up my bar! Hey, everybody! Three cheers for Eggfox!"

 _"Hip Hip, HOORAY!!!"_ every patron in the bar stopped what they were doing and cheered three times for the reformed doctor, who positively glowed in the hero worship.

"Ah, gee..." He said, with false humility, "What can a fox say?"

Robotnik knocked back his drink, slamming the glass down and gesturing for another. His ears pricked at the sound of tittering, and he turned to find a small group of young women giggling as they looked him over.

He gave a flash of his lopsided grin, stolen from Sonic, and offered them a casual salute. "Can I help you, ladies?"

"Oh..." one of the girls, a long-eared rabbit woman who worked at the local beauty parlour, giggled back, "We're fine, thanks..."

"Are you really Doctor Robotnik?" Another, a goat lady, said with awe.

"The very same! Handsome hero, at your service!"

The third female, a white-furred bat woman, simply looked him over before turning back to her drink. "Eh... seen better..."

Robiotnik scowled as the other two women giggled hysterically at their friend's dismissal, before reaching up to fix his quiff and grinning smoothly.

"So..." He said, turning for the bar, "Can I get you girls a drink..."

He paused. His hand, resting on the bar... was loosely clutching a clump of orange fluff.

Ivo lurched back in shock... and yelped as his spine gave out.

"AAAAAGH!!!! WHAT IN THE NAME OF..."

"Jeez, Doc?" Mike the bartender enquired, while other patrons watched as the fox returned painfully to his feet. "You okay!?"

Robotnik began to sweat as he suddenly felt twinges around his body... _familiar_ twinges that he'd had as an old...

_Oh no._

"GET OUTTA MY WAY!!" The fox snarled, shoving past other patrons as he hobbled for the bathroom, wincing with aches and pains.

He slammed into the bathroom wall, grunting in pain, stumbled over to the nearby sinks... and gawped into the mirror.

His fur. His beautiful golden fur, as fabulously maintained as his old moustache had ever been, was streaked with grey. Wrinkles lined his face, his gut was expanding, and... and...

Another clump of fluff dropped from his head, floating down into the sink.

"I'm... _I'M GOING BAAALDD!!!!!"_

Ivo Robotnik screeched as he recoiled from the mirror, clawing in horror at his rapidly aging form. Suddenly his jacket was too tight, he ripped it off with lengthening, gnarly claws. Twin tails, missing chunks of thick fluff, writhed around arthritically. 

With a final moan of despair, the clammy, elderly form of Doctor Ivo Robotnik fell to his knees... and split his pants right down the middle.

...

Back at Robotnik's lair, Morpho, Orbot, Cubot and Metal Sonic Mark Two attempted to console their power-core-broken Mombot as she cried heavy robotic tears into a robotic handkerchief.

"Oh..." The maternal mechanoid whimpered, "Oh, Ivo..."

"Please don't cry, Mombot!" Orbot tried soothingly, "I'm sure Doctor Eggman didn't mean it! You know how young men are, after all!"

"Yeah!" Added Cubot, "Jerks!!"

"Where did I go wrong?!" Mombot cried, "I love my boy so... how could he speak to his Mombot like that?"

"Don't blame yourself, Mom-bro-Bot!" chimed in Morpho, sat next to his Mombot and holding her hand, "Old _Lame-o's_ been a jerk to me too, lately! Must be his brains acting up again!"

"Hmm..." Orbot said thoughtfully, "Perhaps, in the same way that becoming eight years old again made him behave more childish... aging himself so rapidly to eighteen may be intensifying his 'moody young adult' tendencies?"

"PROCESSING..." Metal Sonic Mark Two added, loading dots replacing his LED eyes for a moment, "AFFIRMATIVE. A LOGICAL DEDUCTION GIVEN AVAILABLE DATA."

"Yeah!" Cubot nodded, " _And_ it makes sense!"

"You see, Mombot?" Orbot said gently, "He loves you really! He's just having major brain problems right now!"

"Oh..." sniffed Mombot, "You think?"

"Absolutely!" replied Morpho, "And you know what? Metal and I'll go bring him back for you! Talk some sense into the twin-tailed twerp-azoid!"

"WHAT" Metal Sonic Mark Two bleeped in alarm, "WHY DO I HAVE TO GO."

"Because, robo-bro, you haven't been relevant since, like, chapter three!"

"FAIR ENOUGH."

"Oh, my boys..." Mombot reached up with her telescopic arms and grabbed her entire present robot family in a tight hug. "I'm such a lucky Mombot to have such darling children!"

"AAAAGH." Metal Sonic Mark Two bleeped, "MOMBOT. YOU'RE BUCKLING MY COMBAT SKIN."

"Yeah yeah... come on, Metal..." Morpho was just able to pry the mechanical hedgehog from their Mombot's grasp and drag him away, "Let's go bring our bro home! Before the little dude gets himself into trouble..."

...

" _AAAAAAAAEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!"_

Patrons screamed as they ran from the disco-lit interior of S. Nootz, fleeing to escape the terror within. Nearby, Sonic and Tails screeched to a halt in the dirt, having been in the vicinity during the eruption of chaos.

"Oh jeez, Sonic!!!" Mike the bartender wheezed over to Sonic, while the sound of smashing glass came from inside the bar. "Thank Chaos you're here!!!"

"What's going on?!" The hedgehog replied, ears perking as the sound of insane rambling was followed by something expensive breaking.

"It's Robotnik! He's turned into some kinda monster! He's wrecking 'da whole bar!!!"

"Oh..." said Tails, smirking, "Has he?"

Sonic set his jaw in determination and furrowed his brow. "I knew this whole 'good guy' act was too good to be true! Come on, Tails!"

The two brothers zoomed across the street and into the bar, ready to deal with whatever had happened to their long-time rival. They stopped short, horror meeting their eyes.

"Oh... my Gods..." whispered Sonic

"It's the most horrifying thing... I've ever seen!" croaked Tails.

Before them, stumbling around the bar, bottle in hand and rolls of obese flappy meat on display, a _very_ rotund and elderly fox, missing half of his grey and yellow fur, madly slammed between the furniture, upturning tables and rambling incoherently.

The fox whipped his meaty head around, eyes obscured by goggles, and leered. The only fur left on his head was wispy tufts of his white muzzle, leaving the pallid flesh bare and domelike. Like an egg.

" _WHY ARE YOU IN MY BASEMENT?!_ Are you two here to _FIX MY VC-AARRRR?!?"_ "

"Uh..." Neither Sonic nor Tails knew how to respond to that. 

" _GET OOOUT OF MY CAAAR_ " the overweight, mutated fox screamed, sliding an arm over another table and sending the contents smashing to the ground, " _AND INTO MY DREEEAAMS_ "

"Dude," Sonic said, shaking his head incredulously, "What the heck happened to egg-head?!"

"I can't fin' my _GODDAMN POTATOES_ "

"Woah!" Sonic and Tails, completely unsure how to handle the situation, turned to find Morpho (The shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension), and Metal Sonic Mark Two running to join them in the display,

"What the heck happen to fox-hole?!"

"SCANNING." Metal Sonic Mark Two briefly whirred as his optics scanned Robotnik's physical condition. "IT APPEARS THE DOCTOR'S AGE HAS ADVANCED SEVERAL DECADES, AND THE MODIFICATIONS HE MADE TO HIS PHYSICAL FORM HAVE MUTATED HIM INTO... THIS."

"Heh..." tails chuckled, despite the grossness of Robotnik's altered, delirious state.

"Buddy?" Sonic looked to his smaller fox brother, "Did you know this would happen?"

"I suspected..." Tails replied smugly, "I thought I saw a couple of grey hairs in his fur earlier... I figured he'd start aging more rapidly. But I didn't expect such immediate and... _interesting_ results!"

Robotnik smacked onto his butt and wheezed, clammy flesh of his rotund belly resting on his thighs and half bald twin tails spreading without coordination. " _CATALOGUES_ " the utterly scrambled fox-man rambled.

"Okay little dudes," Morpho said, stroking his blond moustache, "How do we fix him?"

"What makes you think I _want_ to fix him?" Tails replied, "I think he got what he deserved!"

"Tails, just answer the damn question..." mumbled Sonic.

"Fine!" Tails threw his hands up reluctantly, and turned to Morpho. "I'll need to take a look at whatever device you guys used to age him up. Then I can make whatever adjustments I need, and then _maybe_ I can put him back to normal."

"Great!" Said Morpho, "Let's get going!"

"On _ONE_ " condition..." said Tails, before anybody could leave the bar, "After I fix him, you guys quit trying to replace us! This is OUR town, and WE are its protectors! Do we have an understanding?"

Morpho shrugged. "Meh, sure. He was being even more of a total jerk with the hero thing anyway."

"Okay then, guys!" Sonic clapped his hands and rallied the party, "So... how are we going to shift him?"

Sonic, Tails, Morpho and Metal all looked down at the quivering mass of obese fur and flesh, as Robotnik made an unsanitary noise and slumped further.

"Dude... with difficulty..."

...

"Okay..." Tails leaned back and wiped sweat from his brow, having spent the last hour inside the guts of the Maturation Machine. "I think that's the best I can do..."

He wiped his hands off on himself and stepped back to join his present company, Sonic and the Robotnik family.

"Oh, Doctor!" Mombot said, busily fussing at the horribly bloated, wrinkled, half-furred tumorous form of her son as he sat slumped in a wheelchair, "Please tell me you can fix my boy!"

"Yes, please tell us Doctor Eggman will be okay?" added Orbot.

"Well..." Miles raised his safety goggles, and gestured to the machine with his wrench. "With the damage he's done to himself, the best I can do is return him to his younger state... _before_ he aged himself up. That'll allow his body to recuperate."

"I'm sure you did your best, little buddy!" Said Sonic, patting his brother's back.

"So he's gonna be my _little_ brother again?" Morpho said, stroking his moustache and chuckling. "Great, bro!! He was a total derp-wad as an eighteen year old!"

"Yeah!" Added Cubot, "You know what he said to Mombot?! He said..."

"Never mind, dear..." Mombot cut off the smaller yellow mechanoid, stroking her 'son's' bald and wrinkled head, "It doesn't matter... as long as I get my fluffy little boy back!"

"GAM NIBBLETS GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME, WOMAN"

"Now now, Ivo! That's no way to talk to your Mombot!"

"Okay then, everyone!" Tails said, hands on hips authoritatively, "The machine is ready! Let's get him in there!"

"Okay, Ivo..." Mombot said soothingly, pushing him forward in his wheelchair, "We're just taking a nice little walk, okay?"

"WHERE ARE YOU TAKING ME"

"We're just gonna fix you up, little dude!" Morpho said, assisting with guiding him into the machine, "Make you younger again!"

"GET YOUR MITTS OFFA ME I AIN'T GOT NO GHOSTS OR GOBLINS"

They deposited him and his wheelchair inside the machine and retreated, closing the door behind them. The Doctor continued to ramble, his muffled voice echoing inside the tank.

"Okay..." Tails said, situating himself at the controls, "Are we ready?"

There was a chorus of affirmative responses, and Tails grinned as he twisted the dials and tapped at buttons on the reprogrammed machine.

The Maturation Machine whirred into life, white light crackling from inside to bathe the spectators... before a loud crack emanated from inside, and the device began to spool down with the whine of machinery and the crackle of electricity.

Tails turned to his audience, who remained silent, and moved over to open the door with a creak. Smoke billowed out, obscuring the yellow fox.

"Doctor Tails?" Mombot said fearfully as Tails could be heard fumbled with something inside, "did it work?"

"Yeah... it worked..." The entire party gasped as the young engineer emerged from the thinning smoke... clutching a very small, _very_ fluffy yellow-orange bundle. "Exactly as I intended!"

The bundle, a tiny twin-tailed fox cub, made some kind of bemused squealing noise.

"Uh... Tails?" Sonic said uncertainly, "Why... did you turn him into a _baby?!_ "

"Good question!" Tails responded, the cub wriggling in his arms, "One; His body was _so_ screwed thanks to this machine being so hastily constructed, as well as his own utter incompetence, that the only way I figured we could safely return him to the way he was was to reduce him to an infantile state, and allow him to grow back into his body."

"That... doesn't make any sense..." said Orbot.

"Nah, seems pretty logical to me!" replied Cubot.

"Kinda sounds like you pulled that from between your tails, little dude..." added Morpho.

"And what's the second thing?" said Sonic, frowning at the tiny fox in Tails' grasp.

"Well..." Replied Tails, "Two... this is revenge, egg-head!!" He held the cub out in front of him, grinning madly into the tiny face, "For all the crap you've done! Now you have to be a baby!! HAH!!!"

The cub responded by sneezing in his face, causing Tails to recoil in disgust.

"Oh dear, let me take him..." said Mombot, reaching out and retrieving her now extremely tiny 'son' from the now older fox. She hitched him in her arms and cooed as he yawned and snuggled in. "Oh... he's so _adorable!!!!_ "

"So, little dude..." Said Morpho, looking over his _much_ younger brother, "How long is he gonna be like this?"

Tails shrugged. "Not long. He'll age in short spurts every so often until he reaches my physical age again. I estimate... a week or so."

"Hmm..." Mombot hummed, lovingly considering the bundle in her telescopic arms. "I don't suppose you could make it _two_ weeks? Just to be safe?"

Sonic and Tails grinned to one another mischievously, before Tails headed back to the machine and adjusted his goggles.

"I think we can make an arrangement!" The fox-boy said, tapping at the controls.

"Hoo-boy..." Orbot sighed, as the machine began to whirr into action once more, "Cubot? Alter the shopping list to include baby supplies..."

"Already on it, old friend!"


	9. Doctor Eggfox, and the City of the Twin-Tails

Doctor Ivo Robotnik groaned as his boots sploshed into another deep puddle of water, cursing for the hundredth time his present misfortune.

"Curse it!!!" The small, fluffy yellow fox whined, shaking off his sopping wet footwear, "I HATE IT HERE!!!"

"Now now, sir..." Orbot, one of Robotnik's right-hand mechanical lackeys, approached him with a handkerchief extended, "Let me wipe off your fur!"

"Get off of me, buckethead!" The doctor snarled petulantly, shaking his ample coating of fluff free of muddy water droplets. He sighed in frustration as he took in the state of his pelt. He was covered in sweat and muck. He'd need a heck of a shower when they returned to the lair. 

"Curse that meddlesome Sonic and Tails!" Ivo muttered, attempting to rub out a streak of muck from his left-most tail, "I swear, I'll destroy them for stranding me in this hell-hole!"

"Well, to be fair boss..." Cubot put in, scratching the top of his cuboid head, "You didn't _have_ to test the eggmobile's new anti-grav engines during a fight!"

"Are you blaming _me..._ " The doctor glared at his crony, "for our situation?!"

"We're just saying," put in Orbot, "That the middle of a laser fight with super-powered hedgehogs may not be precedent for testing prototype propulsion systems!"

"And all over the place in line at Meh' Burger!" Cubot added.

"I WAS THERE FIRST!!!" The doctor clenched his fists and screeched petulantly, "I WAS WELL WITHIN MY RIGHTS TO ELIMINATE THOSE VERMIN!!!"

"As you say, sir..." Orbot sighed, unwilling to deal with any tantrums at this time.

"Where the devil are we, anyway?" Robotnik said grumpily, setting his hands on his hips and looking around the environment. They were deep in the jungles of Bygone Island, the tree canopy above obscuring the sky, dark browns and greens of the surrounding foliage offering no sign of any kind of trail. 

"Unsure, sir..." Orbot replied, "But we appear to be quite misplaced..."

"Yeah!" added Cubot, "And we're totally lost!" 

"Lost?!" Ivo scoffed, brushing off his tuft of white chest fur and standing tall (well, as tall as his three-foot something frame would allow), and wearing a smirk. "Ha! You're talking to a member of the Human Territories Corps of Boy Scouts!"

" _You_ were a boy scout, sir?" Orbot said inquisitively.

"Sure was!" Ivo replied proudly, "When I was... uh, this age, I spent more time in the sticks than I did in school! There is no wood, forest, jungle, thicket, or undergrowth that Ivo Julian Robotnik cannot traverse!"

"That's very impressive, sir!" cooed Orbot, clasping his red-gloved hands.

"Are you sure you can find our way back?" Added Cubot.

"Absolutely!" the former human said with confidence, tapping his black nose. "And with my enhanced canine senses afforded to me by this body, I'll get us home in no time flat!"

"Oh, well, lead on sir!"

"Yeah! We'll stay right on your tails!"

Robotnik reached down to grab a dismembered tree branch, and gestured into the brush like a brave military leader. "Follow me, boys!" He said with gusto, "Onward to salvation!"

...

"AAGH..." Ivo released a pitiful moan, slumped over Cubot's flat head as he rode piggyback on the yellow bot, "I'm so HUNGRY..."

They had been travelling for hours, with no sign of safety , their surroundings no different than when they had started.

"Sir…" Orbot said lightly, "Are you sure you can't detect anything?"

"Yeah!" Cubot added, "Don't you have, like, a super sense of smell?"

"It all smells like garbage out here!" The doctor whined in protest, adjusting himself on Cubot's shoulders.

"Well can't you hear anything?" Orbot said helpfully, "Any sounds of civilisation tickling those ears of yours?"

"Just the sound of two INCOMPETENT HEAPS OF JUNK I CALL MY HENCHMEN!!!" The doctor hopped from his position on Cubot's shoulders and his boots hit the floor, brushing off his fur. He raised an arm and wiped sweat from his forehead. "Damn, this heat is unbearable..." He gasped, "How does Tails _do_ this??"

"At least you don't have your uniform, sir!" Orbot replied, gesturing to his master's bare, matted fur.

"Don't remind me..." Ivo grumbled, adjusting his utility belt, fur bare after discarding his tattered red uniform after the crash. "I feel so... undignified!"

"Well boss," Said Cubot, "At least there's nobody around to see you!"

"HYAAAAAAAA!!!!"

Doctor Robotnik and his lackeys screeched in terror as a quintet of ragged, feather-clad individuals jumped from the surrounding jungle, brandishing primitive spears and hollering a battle cry.

The doctor hopped into Cubot's arms with a shriek and clung on for dear life.

"AGH!!!! PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!!!!" The doctor squeaked, fur poofing out defensively, "I'M TOO SMALL AND ADORABLE TO KILL!!!"

The short figures, clad in rags and feathered masks, seemed to hesitate as they regarded the small fox and his robotic companions, the apparent leader craning his head forward. The spear lowered, and the lead figure took a tentative step forward, before uttering a single word.

"... Progenitor?"

Robotnik and his minions looked to one another, confused, as the lead figure set his spear down and raised his mask... and were bemused as a very familiar, yellow and white furred face was revealed.

"T... TAILS!?" Ivo snapped, hopping from Cubot's embrace. "What the devil are you doing out here???"

The other fox didn't answer, big blue eyes regarding the doctor with fascination. Robotnik made to demand an answer... before the other figures too raised their masks... and he paused in bewilderment.

Before him, regarding him with awe... five identical foxes lowered their weapons, as the leader turned to address them.

"The Progenitor... has come!!!"

...

"Uh... boss?"

"Yes Orbot?"

"There... appear to be several multiples of Tails in front us..."

"Yes, I can see that, Orbot…"

"Yeah! And there's more than one!"

Robotnik and his lackeys watched in bemusement as the lead fox discarded his mask, approaching Ivo with curious intent. The doctor tensed as the other fox began to sniff at him, circling him, regarding him with fascination. Then the fox rose his spear triumphantly and flashed an excited grin. 

"It _IS_ the Progenitor! His scent is pure!!"

 _" PROGENITOR!!!!"_ the other foxes chorused in high-pitched unison

"It really is him?"

"He's more beautiful than I ever imagined!"

"It's just as the legends foretold!"

"Do you have pudding?"

Robotnik just remained still, gawping incredulously as the lead fox approached him again, a big idiotic smile plastered over his face. 

"Progenitor..." The fox said, voice quivering with joy, "You have finally come!"

"Uh... h..." the doctor stammered, unsure how to respond but happy he wasn't currently being skewered nonetheless, "h... hello?"

 _"HELLO!!!"_ the foxes chorused once again.

"What's going on?" Cubot enquired, scratching his boxy cranium.

"They appear to believe our master is some kind of 'Progenitor'?" Orbot replied uncertainly.

_"PROGENITORRRR!!!!"_

"Agh!" Ivo smacked his paws over his ears at the squealing voices, scrunching his face in discomfort as his eardrums were tortured. "What the devil is going on here?"

The foxes murmured amongst themselves like children, before their leader raised a hand to silence them.

"The Elders told us this day would come..." he said, reaching out a hand in welcome, "Come, Progenitor! We must go!"

"Go?" Ivo raised an eyebrow, "Go where?"

The fox beamed vacantly. "Home!"

_"HOMEEEE!!!!!"_

"Ack!!"

...

They had no choice but to follow the foxes, their leader offering no further explanation. The foxes, all sporting twin tails, jostled and tormented one another like rowdy siblings as they walked, often stopping to happily play in the mud and the dirt.

"Who... do you think these guys are?" Cubot said quietly, watching a pair of twin-tailed foxes wrestle over a stick.

"I don't know..." Robotnik said, "But they don't appear too bright..."

"Do you think they're part of Tails' race?" Orbot said inquisitively, "An entire culture of two-tailed foxes?"

"I don't know..." Robotnik said, considering. "It's certainly possible... but why are they _identical?_ "

They were interrupted in their pondering as one fox hopped over to trot beside them, looking blankly at the doctor with eyes half-closed. 

"Do you have any pudding?" Was what he had to say.

"Uh..." Robotnik regarded the fox with bewilderment. " … no?"

"Oh."

The fox continued to stare at him as they walked, blinking dumbly. A few seconds passed before he spoke again. "How about now?"

"What??" The doctor was now utterly confused. "No!!"

"Oh." The fox hummed something to himself, briefly checking his footing, before looking back to the doctor expectantly.

"How about n-"

"By CHAOS!!!" The doctor snarled, rubbing his temples, "Am I having a fever dream or something???"

"Young one!" One fox, the apparent leader of their troop, made his way over to his idiot companion and set a guiding hand on his shoulder, "We have pudding back in the city! It is not of the Progenitor's concern!"

The dumb fox shrugged, and wandered back to join his other companions ahead.

"I apologise, Great One..." The leader said, "Our young ones mean well... though some are a little, shall we say... slow?"

"Young ones?" Orbot said, hovering beside this fox, "You all appear to be the same age!"

The fox smiled blissfully. "All will be explained, companion of the Progenitor!"

"Where are you taking us?" Robotnik said, stepping over a twin-tailed fox that was seemingly attempting to make 'mud-angels'. 

The leader bent down to retrieve his comrade, then perked his ears as one of the leading foxes called back to the troop.

"Home!! We are home!!!"

The leader turned and grinned happily to the doctor. "You will see!" He said eagerly, "You will soon see!"

Robotnik and his lackeys watched as the lead fox hopped along, leading them through the edge of the jungle. All three Robotniks stopped and stood in awe as their escort spread his arms at the sight beyond.

"Welcome!" The fox announced, gesturing with his spear, "To the city of the Twin-Tails!!"

...

Robotnik and his companions observed in fascination as their escorts led them into a great city, built from wooden shacks and buildings... and populated entirely by identical twin-tailed foxes, all of whom looked just like Miles Prower.

Many played in the streets like children, while others performed domestic tasks, others flitting through the air as they flew about their business. All stopped to look in wonder at the newcomers in their midst. 

"What... _is_ this place??" Orbot whispered, eyes glowing in curiosity.

"I... don't know..." Robotnik replied, his jaw hanging open at the sight. A pack of Tails-es stopped in their play-fighting and gawped at him with idiot grins, before being shepherded away by feather-masked individuals the doctor assumed were their 'warriors'. Many of the warriors stood at posts around the city, armed with spear and crossbows, expressions blank behind the masks.

"This is crazy!" Cubot exclaimed, watching as a squadron of Tails-es apparently attempted to see who could catch the most rocks with their skulls, "Could this really be where Tails comes from?"

"Oh no!" The fox they had dubbed 'Leader' trotted alongside them, seemingly intent on offering more insight, "The Progenitor doesn't come from the City! This is simply where his favoured children live!"

"Favoured children?" Robotnik said in confusion, "What on Mobius are you blathering about?"

"you'll see!" Leader replied, "The Elder will explain all!!"

"Well..." Orbot sighed, "I suppose that settles that..."

The trio were led into a large wooden hall, through large halls decorated with crude, crayon-drawn twin-tail insignias. They followed their escort closely as they approached a large throne, upon which sat another fox, dressed in more elaborate feathers and furs.

"Oh Great First Elder!" Leader said loudly, taking a knee with the rest of his troop, "The Progenitor has come to us!"

The Robotniks watched, dazed, as the fox dubbed 'The First Elder' rose from his throne, approaching the trio with wide, disbelieving eyes. This one seemed older than the others, albeit only by a year or so, and gawped at the visitors in fascination.

"Progenitor?" he whispered, scarcely believing his eyes.

"Uh..." Robotnik rubbed the back of his head, "Apparently?"

The doctor flinched as, just as the Leader had done, the Elder began to sniff him. He looked into the doctor's eyes, before an incredulous, wondrous smile broke his yellow and white face.

"It IS the Progenitor!" He announced, for all Tails-es to hear. He was met with a hollering chorus of high-pitched voices, as the other foxes cried in triumph.

"I... don't understand..." Robotnik said in exasperation, finding his circumstance utterly bewildering, "What... who _are_ you people?!"

The Elder's ears perked as murmuring sounded from around the room, before raising his hands to quiet the other foxes. "You have questions..." The First Elder replied, clasping his hands behind his back as he regarded the doctor with wonder, "I will be glad to answer your questions, o' Great One!" The fox snapped his fingers, bringing warriors to clumsy attention. "Brothers!" He squeaked, "Let us bring our guests... to the Story Room!!!"

 _"STORY ROOOOOOOM!!!"_ came a chorus of unison. Robotnik, Orbot, and Cubot allowed themselves to be led to the other side of the hall, walking through a set of double doors, and into an elongated room. Upon one wall, some kind of mural, messily drawn in crayon, depicted smiling yellow stick-figure foxes, that went from just two individuals, to a city of many.

"Our people have become a glorious civilisation..." The Elder said, gesturing to the mural, "But once... we were but one. A single fox, from whom all Twin-Tails were born!"

"The... Progenitor..." Robotnik mumbled, stroking the ends of his stylised white muzzle. 

_"THE PROGENITOR!"_ the surrounding foxes chorused as one.

"Yes..." The Elder replied, moving them along to the next image. "But one day... our Creator split himself... and thus were born 'The Five!'"

 _"THE FIVE!!_ "

"Wait..." Said Orbot, piping up with a raised index finger, "Did you say 'split himself'?" 

"Yes!" The Elder replied, "And from the Five, more of our kind were created! Dozens of young Twin-Tails, naïve, eager for life... but then came... the _Destroyers..._ "

The surrounding foxes emitted boos, and hisses, and yelps of fright at the mention of these apparently evil entities.

"The Destroyers?" Robotnik mused, watching as the Elder led them on.

"Yes... five of them, one for each of our forebears... the Pink Deciever…" he waved a hand at what Robotnik recognised as a crude, crayon-drawn caricature of Amy Rose, this one with yellow teeth and clutching coloured balls in her hands. More boos and hisses came from the crowd of foxes. The First Elder went on. "Alongside this demon, there was the Blue Devil... the Striped Reaper... the Red Fist... and most evil of all, the EGG DEMON!!!!!"

Ivo felt a mixture of fear and irritation, as a crayon drawing of his old human form, wrapped in his shower curtain and sporting a ridiculous shower cap, met his eyes.

"You... have got to be kidding me..." the doctor mumbled, as realisation began to dawn on him.

"They captured our brethren...." The Elder continued, "And brought them all to the Machine of Oblivion... in the twist of a dial, our kind was no more..."

"You have GOT to be kidding me..." Ivo repeated.

"All but two of our number were destroyed that day..." The Elder went on, ignorant of the Doctor's mumbling. "The First Elder... and the Second Elder..."

Robotnik watched in fascination as the fox waved his hand over more murals, displaying two stick-foxes surrounded by trees, and monsters. 

"The two elders travelled far... searching for safety..." The Elder continued, "Over treacherous marshes, and thick jungles, fighting for our survival... until we found... the Magic Machines!"

_"MAGIC MACHINES!!!"_

"GAH!!" Robotnik winced another chorus of high-pitched voices. "Do they really have to do that?"

"It's for dramatic effect!" A nearby Tails squeaked.

"Here, with the aid of the Magic Machines..." The Elder said, reaching the end of the mural, "We were able to begin anew... create a safe haven, and now our kind can prosper! Here we have waited, for the day our great Progenitor would come to deliver us! And now that day has come!"

The surrounding foxes hooted and hollered, causing the doctor more discomfort.

"It is a glorious day, Progenitor!" The Elder said, smiling blissfully at his 'Creator'. Around him, the other Tails-es did the same, regarding the doctor with wonder.

"Of course it is..." Ivo said, "Uh... if you could excuse me, may I talk to my associates for a moment?"

"Of course, Progenitor!!"

Ivo watched as the Elder and his cohorts blinked dumbly, grinning at him.

"Uh... in private?"

"Oh, okay! Come, brothers!"

The other foxes filed out, one of them turning and regarding Robotnik vacantly. "Do you have pudding?"

"NO!!!!"

"Oh. Okay." The final fox followed his comrades, and the double doors closed behind him, leaving the Robotniks alone.

"Oh... by Chaos..." The doctor grinned, a low cackle escaping his throat, "This is... fascinating!"

"I don't understand..." Orbot said.

"Me neither!" Cubot replied.

"Humph," The doctor scoffed, clasping his hands behind his back as he inspected the crude murals, "You two don't have an ounce of sense between you..."

"Then perhaps, sir..." Orbot sighed condescendingly, "You could enlighten us?"

"Don't you see???" Robotnik turned and grinned, wide-eyed at his deduction, "Do you remember that whole caper when Tails split himself into multiple copies?"

"I dunno…" Cubot said slowly, "That sounds an awful lot like hack writing to me..."

"What??? It was one of the best episodes!!!" The doctor exclaimed, before pinching his nose and sighing. "Look, bolt-brain... were you listening to Elder Eejit right then?"

"No sir," replied Orbot, "I didn't hear you say a thing!"

The two robots shared a laugh at the doctor's expense... before realising he was glaring at them with teeth bared.

"Ahem... sorry sir..." Orbot said sheepishly, "Just a little joke?"

"Indeed..." The doctor grunted, before that wicked Eggman leer stretched across the cloned face of Miles Prower. "Those... _copies_ think that I'm the real Tails..." Ivo mused, stroking his white muzzle just as he had his old moustache, "And they think Tails... is their God!!!!" The doctor whipped around to face his subordinates, pointed teeth bared in an evil grin. "Which means... I have an entire city of half-wit minions, all ready and eager to bend to my will!!!!! What more could an evil genius ask for???"

"But..." Orbot replied, scratching his spherical skull, "If only two of them escaped capture... how did they build an entire civilisation of copied Tails... es?"

"Yeah..." added Cubot, scratching his butt, "And how-come Tails is still so smart, if he was missing a couple of his copies when we put him back together?"

"Well..." mused Ivo, "apparently, the younger ones are dumb as rocks... but they seem to get a little smarter as they age. So Tails must have recovered, despite missing a couple of pieces of himself..."

"But that doesn't answer the question," Orbot said, rubbing his chin, "Of how those surviving copies..." He paused, sheepishly searching for the right words, "Uh... _procreated?_ "

"Yeesh..." replied the doctor, sticking his tongue out, "As much as I don't want to think about that, it's a good question..." A malicious grin slowly spread across his face, and the doctor giggled lightly. "After all, an evil genius needs to know how his minions are manufactured, right?"

...

"Behold!" The First Elder said, spreading his arms as he and his warriors led the trio from a wide elevator into a large underground facility, filled with humming machines lining the walls, many more 'twin-tails' milling around as they tended to the devices. The elder turned and beamed to his guests, an idiotic grin splitting his face. "The birthing chambers!!"

Orbot and Cubot gasped as they observed the machinery, while Robotnik simply remained silent. The surrounding machine were of Ancients design, most appearing battered and broken and out of commission... save for a pair of large, tank-like contraptions, banged together out of the surrounding machines and hodge-podge junk, constructed from hissing pipes and sparking wires.

"What... _is_ this?" Orbot said quietly.

"Ancients technology..." Ivo muttered, nodding to the patchwork devices before them. "Looks like it's all non-functioning... except for these things..."

"But what are they?" said Cubot, scratching his boxy cranium. 

"I suppose we're about to find out..." Ivo replied, as the Elder approached another twin-tail, who ambled over from the machines.

"Second Elder!" The fox said, greeting the other. The other fox, clad in an apron and safety goggles, wore a vacant expression as he regarded Robotnik.

"Progenitor???" The fox gasped, raising his goggles.

"Yes yes, I am the great and awesome Progenitor, blah blah blah..." Ivo replied, waving a hand dismissively.

"The Second Elder... also known as 'the Birth-Master!' " The first Elder said happily, "Responsible for the propagation of our people!"

"Using... these things?" Orbot said inquisitively, hovering toward the large janky machines, attending twin-tails backing away from the curious robot.

"Yes!" The First Elder replied, gesturing to the machines, "Would you like a demonstration, Progenitor?"

Robotnik's ears perked and he fought back a malicious smirk. "Absolutely!"

The First Elder gestured to the Second, who lowered his goggles and moved over to one of the machines. He squeaked orders at one of the other attendants, who cranked open the large circular door and stepped inside. The Second Elder, or the Birth-Master, tapped away at the controls to the machine, and other attendants inspected the various hissing pipes and clanking pistons of the jigsaw contraptions. Power generators hummed, harsh electricity snapped and crackled, and flashed of blue lightning slashed between the tank-like machines.

Ultimately, the activity ceased, metal creaking and gases hissing, machinery whining as it powered down... and the bangs and clatters of small hands beat against the interior of the second chamber.

The attendant stepped out from the first chamber while his comrades approached the second, cranking open the large metal door... and from within, a giggling rabble of freshly-copied Tails-es ran out, cackling stupidly, falling into a gabble of playing and tousling yellow fur.

"Woah," Cubot said simply.

"Behold, Progenitor!" The First and Second Elders approached, beaming at their work, "A new batch!"

Robotnik and his lackeys watched in fascination as attendants rounded up the newborn copies, herding them like rowdy children.

"Astounding..." Ivo mused, stroking his muzzle-ends, "Absolutely astounding..."

"Are you pleased with our work, Progenitor?" The Second Elder asked tentatively, eyes shining hopefully behind his safety goggles.

Robotnik, grinning at the manufacturing source of his future army, nodded enthusiastically. "More than pleased, my friend!"

The elder beamed with pride, while the other raised his hands in gesture toward Robotnik.

"Progenitor!" The fox squeaked, "It is truly an honour for you to witness this new birth!" Robotnik watched as the newborns were gathered up by their attendants, who began to usher them toward an elevator, "Now come! the great Pudding Feast awaits!"

"Oh..." Ivo Robotnik replied, "great..."

"Oh, that sounds like a delight!" Orbot said happily, as the two robots followed after the Elders and their escort.

Before Ivo could follow, he felt a prickle down his back, as though he were being watched. He turned, ears perked, to find a stray newborn, big idiotic smile plastered over his face, beaming at him with glee.

"What?" Ivo snapped, one eyebrow raised.

Before the fox could say anything in reply, an attendant approached and lightly took him by the arm to follow the others. "I'm sorry, Great One..." the attendant said, "New-births can be a little dumb!"

"Yeah..." Robotnik muttered, turning to leave the birthing chambers with one last look at the cloning machines, "I noticed..."

The great hall, minutes before empty save for the First Elder and his warriors, was now packed with twin-tails of all ages, from fresh new-births to the elders themselves. The older foxes shepherded the younger, maintaining some semblance of order among the rabble of half-wit Tails-es.

Ivo ducked as another bowl of chocolatey goop flew past his head, smacking into the crude wooden wall behind.

"Jeez!" The doctor yelped, clutching his own food defensively, "Are they _trying_ to paste me in this gruel?!"

"Sir!" Orbot cried, "Cubot took a direct hit! I think some of it got in his systems!"

"I can't feel my watermelons!" The yellow mechanoid said wonkily, his head spinning around madly.

"This is insane!" Ivo grunted, watching as twin-tails chased one another, wrestled, flew drunkenly through the air, lobbing gobs of what he supposed was 'pudding' as though it were an intense snowball fight. "I haven't seen this much brown stuff splattered everywhere since the aftermath of the last Hedgehog Village chilli-dog festival!"

"Yes!" One of the Elders, the First by the look of his garb, replied, "Our young ones can be quite restless!"

"But our children will grow in time!" The second Elder, occupying the head of their table alongside his counterpart, added. "And become as smart as we am!"

"You don't say..." Ivo mumbled, taking a spoonful of his food. He grimaced. It tasted foul.

"Oh, Gods..." he said, scrunching his face up, "This is GROSS!!!"

"Hi!"

The doctor yelped in surprise as a shrill voice chirped in his ear, and he turned to find a very familiar, very idiotic yet curious grin right in his face. He frowned. He was unsure, but he could swear he recognised the newborn twin-tail from earlier. The kid's face was plastered with chocolate paste.

"What do you want?" The doctor said impatiently. 

The twin-tail blinked. "Are you gonna eat that???" He squeaked, wide eyes eagerly locked on Robotnik's bowl of 'food'. His twin tails swished like an excited puppy's.

The doctor briefly glanced at his bowl, and sighed. "I suppose not..." He shrugged and slid the bowl over to the twin-tail. "Here. Knock yourself out."

The fox cocked his head quizzically, then nodded. "Okay!" Robotnik jerked in shock as the kid grabbed the wooden bowl, and smacked it into his forehead with enough force to make his eyes spin. Brown, sugary gloop went everywhere, dripping from his fur.

"Jeez!" Robotnik yelped, wiping gunk from his fur, "What the heck was that for?!"

The twin-tail swayed, grinning absently as he sucked pudding from his fingers. "Tasty!!!"

Robotnik shook his head incredulously. "If you say so, kid..."

The other fox looked into his bowl, sadly realising his pudding was now gone, then tossed it away and sat cross-legged on the table as he observed the doctor with interest.

Robotnik waited for a moment, biting his tongue, before glaring at the Tails copy. " _What?!_ "

"The other guys say you're super important!" The fox replied, grinning excitedly, "They told me you're, like, God!"

Robotnik shrugged. "Yeah, I guess..." He considered for a moment, then frowned. "You're like an hour old, how do you even understand these concepts?"

"I'unno," The twin-tail shrugged and looked around, before grinning back at the doctor. "Wanna be friends???"

The doctor sighed in resignation, and nodded. "Sure... why not?"

"Cool!" The fox hopped to his feet and jumped in spot like it was his birthday - which, in actuality, it was. "I'm friends with God!!"

"Now, young one..." The First Elder approached and guided the new-birth down from the table, "The Progenitor has work to do! Why don't you go play with your brothers?"

The fox nodded eagerly and grinned at Robotnik. "See you later!!!"

The Elder looked to the doctor as the younger fox tore back off into the fray, faceplanting the ground as he tripped over his discarded bowl. "Our young ones are very excitable!"

"Yeah, I'll say..." Robotnik replied. "Wait... what was that about me having 'work to do?' "

"Ah, yes!" The elder said, "I suppose it's time!"

The First Elder briefly spoke to the Second, before the two foxes stood and raised their arms.

"WHO WANTS TO SEE A CHEESE-PUFF THAT LOOKS LIKE THE ELDERS???" The first cried to get the attention of the roiling crowd of foxes.

Like flipping a switch, the entire sea of half-wit Tails-es ceased in their rabble, and fixed their leaders with eager attention.

"Wow," mused Orbot, "That worked surprisingly well!"

"Yeah!" agreed Cubot, "And I can't wait to see this cheese-puff!"

"Brothers!" The First Elder spoke loud, "Twin-Tails young and old!! Hear us now!!!"

"Young and old?" Robotnik muttered, "The oldest has to be, like, two years old or something!"

"Our Progenitor has come to us!" The Second Elder added, "And, as we foretold, a new era will dawn for our kind!!"

The crowd of foxes cheered, many ignorant of the actual meaning behind the words, but eager all the same.

"I wonder what they mean by that?" Orbot said.

"Eh, probably nothing too crazy!" Cubot replied.

"SSH!" Robotnik glared at his subordinates. "I'm trying to listen to them praise me as their God!"

"And with the Progenitor's sacrifice..." The Elder continued, "His power will run through us all! And our kind will surge forth, and conquer the world in the name of the Twin-Tail Empire!!!!!

Orbot, Cubot and the doctor went comically still at the elder's announcement, while the hall of foxes erupted in triumphant hollering.

"I'm... sorry?" Robotnik stammered, eyes going wide, "Did he just say... sacrifice?"

"Oh dear..." Orbot sighed, "I think it may be time to strategically retreat?"

"No time!" Cubot cried, "We gotta get the heck outta here!!"

The trio attempted to back away from the head table slowly, using the chaos of the crowd as distraction... but were blocked by a pair of warriors, who regarded them with blank stares.

"What are you doing?!" Robotnik squeaked, clenching his fists and gesturing angrily. "Get out of my way!!"

"Where are you going, Great One?" Robotnik and his lackeys turned and quailed at the sight of the two Elders, both with identical vacant grins on their faces. The First Elder held his hands out, as though pleading. "The pre-sacrifice pudding feast is not yet over! Are you not hungry?"

"Uh..." Robotnik began nervously rubbing the back of his head, other hand fiddling with a tail as his brain tried to figure away out. "Actually, I'm... on a diet! watching my calories, you know?"

"Oh!" The Second Elder stepped forward, "In that case, we can begin the sacrificial ritual sooner, right?"

"Uh... okay, look!" Robotnik held his hands out defensively, and desperately glanced between identical furry faces, "I'm not who you think I am, guys! I'm not your 'Progenitor' or whatever! I just look like him! It's a long story!"

"Yeah!" Chimed in Cubot, "Poorly executed too!"

"And Cringey!" Orbot added.

"Okay, don't try to oversell it guys..." Robotnik muttered.

The Elders apparently weren't convinced, as they gestured to their warriors. "Prepare the Progenitor for the ritual!" The First Elder commanded, "And take his friends too! They shall join him on the path!"

"No!" Robotnik cried as the feather clad warrior Tails-es restrained him, and began dragging him away along with Orbot and Cubot, "I'm not the right guy! We can talk about this!! I'M TOO FLUFFY TO DIE!!!"

"Well..." muttered Orbot, "Our situation appears to have become most undesirable..."

"Yeah!" agreed Cubot, "And we're boned!"

"Mister Elder?"

The Second Elder turned to find a new-birth, covered in dark, chocolatey goop, tugging on his robe and watching with concern as the Progenitor and his comrades were taken away. "Yes, young one?" He said with a warm smile.

The new-birth cocked his head. "Where are they taking him?" he asked innocently.

"To be sacrificed!" The elder explained happily, "The Great One's spirit will be released from his flesh, and strengthen us anew so we may dominate the world beyond!"

The new-birth frowned. "That doesn't sound very nice!"

The elder shrugged and left the naïve young fox to attend to his business. The new-birth felt sad as his friend was taken away screaming. "You should be nice to friends..."

Taking a quick look around, the young clone spun his twin tails, and flew off after the Progenitor and his captors.

...

"PLEASE!!!" Robotnik screeched as warriors bound him to a tall wooden stake, Orbot and Cubot undergoing the same fate either side of him, "I'M TELLING YOU! YOU HAVE THE WRONG GUY!!"

A crowd of foxes were gathered before the 'stage' in the centre of the city, hooting and hollering with shared excitement at the display. Many of the young ones didn't even understand what was occurring, only that something exciting was happening and now was a fun time to play. 

"I don't understand, Great One!" Robotnik winced as the First and Second Elders approached, puzzled expressions over their faces, "You will be freed from your prison of flesh! To become one with all of us once again!"

"Do you not wish to see your children prosper?" The other elder added.

"Y'know, for guys who are apparently idiots, their vocabulary is real flowery!" Said Cubot.

"Yes, though that is the _least_ of our concerns right now!" Orbot snapped.

"please..." The doctor whimpered desperately now, tears beginning to form in his eyes, "Please don't kill me..."

The elders simply regarded him curiously, as though he were making a fuss over nothing. "Don't worry, Great One!" The First Elder said soothingly, "when you join with us again, you will see!"

Robotnik's heart fell and panic began to grip him as the elders walked away, a troop of warriors across from him readying lit torches. They were going to burn him at the stake.

"Please..." he whispered, closing his eyes and praying for a miracle, "I don't wanna die..."

"HEY EVERYBODY!!" The doctor's ears perked and his eyes snapped open at a young, familiar voice. On the raised platform nearby, the still chocolate-coated form of his new-birth friend wore an animated grin as he pointed into the night sky. "LOOK! THERE'S A CHEESE-PUFF IN THE SKY THAT... LOOKS LIKE THE MOON!!!!"

Every fox in the vicinity chittered and chirped to one another, and every twin-tail, including the elders and their warriors, looked into the sky to find a shining yellow orb beaming down upon them.

"Gasp!"

"The new-birth speaks true!"

"It is a sign!"

"Truly this day is blessed!

"Brother..." The Second Elder stood beside the First and looked into the sky with awe. "Have you ever seen such a sight?"

The First Elder hummed and frowned as he regard the yellow orb. The twin-tails below began singing and chittering in harmony as they looked up at the object with wonder. "Wait..." he stroked at his white muzzle, twin tails flicking as his smart-brain engaged, "That isn't a cheese-puff that looks like the moon... that's just THE MOON!!!"

The two elders whipped around as realisation dawned on them... to fond three empty wooden stakes, their occupants absent.

"Progenitor???"

Nothing. Their saviour was gone.

"PROGENITOOOOOR!!!"

...

The doctor panted as he hauled butt through the thick jungle, followed by his mechanical lackeys as the trio chased after the twin-tail. The fox who had rescued them flew above, giggling as he held his arms out at his sides like a plane.

"Come on, Great One!" The fox cackled, flipping in mid air before coming to a hover beside him, "Follow me!"

"Easy... for you... to say!!" Robotnik huffed, sweat and mud caking his fur as he rested his hands on his knees, "I'm the only one here who can't fly!"

The twin-tail fluttered to a landing and cocked his head quizzically. "You can't fly?"

"Of course I can't!!" Robotnik spat, "Do you really think I'd be struggling along on foot if I could?!"

The fox stroked at his muzzle, brown furrowed in a puzzled expression. "I always thought the Progenitor could fly..."

"What? How would you know anything? You're literally like two hours old!"

The other fox shrugged. "I'unno!"

"Do you even know where you're leading us?" Orbot enquired, as the doctor climbed onto Cubot's back.

Again, the fox shrugged. "Nope!" He said happily, before hopping back into the air on his tails, "Follow me! I think the jungle ends not far from here!"

"Fascinating..." The doctor mused as he clung to Cubot's carapace, "He seems to have retained some knowledge from the Tails'es that came before... I wonder if they possess some kind of shared intelligence, like a hive mind... truly fascinating..."

"Yeah..." Cubot replied dryly, "Real interesting stuff, boss!"

...

It was almost dawn by the time they reached the edge of the jungle, their guide's prediction of 'not far' translating to 'several kilometres'. The doctor was struggling to keep his eyes open, covered with mud and exhausted, by the time they stopped beside a wide river, the sun just peeping over the trees of the opposite bank.

"By my calculations..." Orbot proposed, "If we follow the river downstream, we should reach the shore by the evening!"

"Oh great..." The doctor groaned, ears drooping and chin resting on Cubot's head, "Just another twelve hours' hike to go! Whoopee!!"

"Yeah..." replied Cubot, hiking the doctor up onto his shoulders a little more, "Might wanna take a rest and save your legs, boss..."

"Well, it's been real fun!" The twin-tail said, "But I gotta go home!"

"Wait!" Robotnik said, ears perking as he settled his eyes on the blissfully grinning Tails clone, "You're going back?! Are you sure that's safe??"

"Yes!" Orbot agreed, gesturing with concern to the other twin-tailed fox, "won't your brethren be angry for helping us?"

"I'unno!" the fox shrugged, and spun his tails into a whirr, hovering into the air once again. "But... they'll probably catch up sooner or later! Maybe I can stall them a little! Give you some more time to escape!"

Robotnik cocked his head. "You'd... do that for us?"

"Yeah!" The fox grinned happily, "You're my friends!"

"Oh..." Orbot whimpered, clutching his chest, "How... how touching..."

"Uh..." Robotnik mumbled, unsure how to react, "Th... thanks? I guess?"

"It's okay! I got to be best friends with God!" The fox gave the trio a cheery wave, before ascending on his spinning tails. "Well, see ya! I gotta get back for more pudding!"

With that, the twin-tail turned about, and boosted away over the trees.

"Goodbye, friend!" Orbot called after him, wiping a tear from his eye.

"We'll never forget you!!" Added Cubot, similarly choked up. 

"Come on, guys..." The doctor sighed, ears drooping as he patted Cubot's head, "Let's go home..."

The trio turned and began to follow the river, finally turning their backs on their bizarre adventure.

...

_The next day..._

The doctor adjusted his brand new, freshly manufactured and pressed red uniform in front of the mirror, the material smooth and comfortable over his recently clipped fur. He huffed with satisfaction at his appearance, relieved to have cleaned up after that nightmare in the jungle.

"Hmph!" The doctor grinned maliciously, "This body may still be on the young side, but at least I can still present myself in a dignified, sophisticated way! Truly befitting of an evil genius such as myself!"

The door to his private quarters slid open, Orbot and Cubot emerging with a tray of snacks.

"Here you are, sir!" Orbot sang happily, setting the tray down on the doctor's bedside table, "Chocolate milk and mint cookies! Your favourite!"

The doctor squeaked happily and grabbed one of the cookies, nibbling at the treat as he held it in both gloved paws. Orbot cooed at the adorable sight.

"So..." The doctor mumbled through a mouthful of cookie, "What's on the itinerary for today?"

"Well, sir..." Orbot said, projecting a holographic screen from his eyes and counting off log entries, "First of all was evil breakfast, then evil shower, then you tried on your new evil uniform, and then-"

The lackey was interrupted in his description by the lair's evil doorbell ringing.

"What the devil?" The doctor dropped his cookie and frowned, brushing off his muzzle with the back of a glove, "Who in blazes has dared to interrupt my mid-morning snacktime?!"

Robotnik, followed closely by his mechanical minions, stormed down the entrance hall the the lair. He ordered Cubot in place, hopped up into the robot's head, and palmed the door controls.

The doors grinded open... revealing a short, yellow, inanely grinning figure.

"Hi!" The twin-tailed fox in the foorway said cheerily.

"TAILS?!?" Robotnik snarled, pointing angrily at the other fox, "HOW DARE YOU!!! I'LL..." The doctor trailed off as he realised that this fox was familiar... but wasn't Tails.

"What... what are YOU doing here?" The doctor cocked his head, one ear drooping, as he recognised the twin-tail from the city.

"I came to see my friend!" The fox said, wearing a vacant grin as he looked up at the doctor.

"What about the others?" Orbot interjected, "Are they here too?!"

"Nah!" The Tails-clone shook his head and grinned, "They said I wasn't allowed back in the city! So I came here instead!"

"That's a long way!" replied Cubot, "How did you find us?"

"I'unno!" The fox shrugged his shoulders, and then his nose began twitching as he sniffed the air. His eyes widened in excitement. "Do you have pudding?!?"

Before the doctor could protest, the twin-tail ran past him, giggling as he boosted down the corridor.

"Don't worry, sir..." Orbot sighed, "I'm sure we'll find a way to get rid of him..."

Robotnik frowned... and then shook his head. "No... you know what? I think I'll keep him around..."

"What?!"

"Sir, are you sure?!"

"Hey, he did help save our butts!" The doctor protested, before a malicious grin stretched over his white muzzle, "And besides... I may have just found a new evil apprentice!"

The doctor cackled as he turned around, the main doors to the lair sliding shut behind him.


	10. Sparky

"Nngh… Chaos damn it, just straighten!"

Doctor Ivo Robotnik scowled as he stood before a full-size mirror, busily fussing with the ragged ends of his muzzle. He glanced over to a nearby portrait, of a large, barrel-chested human with an extravagant moustache - himself, before his 'accident'. He grunted and went back to adjusting his muzzle fur, attempting to emulate the style of the moustache he once proudly wore.

He straightened up and adjusted his brand new uniform, the short, open-chested jacket more suited to his present furry disposition. Again he consulted the portrait, attempting to strike the same villainous pose. Ultimately he sighed in defeat, ears drooping and tails slumping at his frustration.

"Gah! It's no use!" The doctor groaned, shrugging hopelessly, "It doesn't matter what I do, how hard I try, I just can't look anything other than..." He grimaced, canines jutting from the corners of his mouth, " _Cute and fuzzy..._ "

"Well, I think you look quite dashing, sir!" Orbot put in, assisting the doctor with his morning routine. "The new uniform is particularly striking!"

"Don't patronize me, Orbot…" Robotnik leaned forward, an electric razor in hand, carefully trimming at his muzzle ends, "I know what I look like..."

"Well, at least we know what you'll look like when you're fully grown, sir!"

"Oh _sure..._ " The doctor replied darkly, recognising Orbot's reference to his brief period of time as an eighteen year-old fox with the adoration of the entire village, "In about ten years! Jeez, I'm not looking forward to puberty again... do you think fox-mobians get acne?"

"I wouldn't know, sir..." Orbot replied, resigning himself to the doctor's mood. 

"Of course you wouldn't, bucket-head!" Robotnik huffed, taking extra care as he snipped at his fuzzy cheeks, "Last I looked robots didn't suffer skin condit-AGH!!!!"

The doctor yelped in shock as a _crack_ sounded from the other room, and the lair's lights flickered off. Cubot's frantic voice soon followed, the boxy robot scolding the lair's new... guest.

Robotnik grit his teeth and held back an enraged snarl as the emergency lights flickered on, and he took in his reflection. The left-most tuft of fur on his cheek had been snipped cleanly off, the startled doctor slipping as the electricity snapped off.

"AGH!!" The doctor whined, bemoaning his now totally mismatched cheek fuzz, "Now I have to trim the whole thing!!!!" He turned and stormed toward the source of the disturbance, a resigned Orbot dutifully in tow.

"Sparky!" The doctor said sternly, jabbing a finger at his new apprentice, "What the devil are you doing?!"

A very frazzled twin-tailed fox, identical to Robotnik in every way save for the bemused expression over his face, grinned idiotically as he regarded the doctor. "Hi, Doctor Eggs!" he said cheerily, his voice quivering as he sat near an unoccupied plug socket.

"Sparky..." Robotnik set his hands on his hips and glared. "Have you been sticking your fingers in the electrical outputs again?"

'Sparky', named for this very tendency, cocked his head, eyes slowly wandering in opposite directions as he processed the query. One second went by. Two seconds. Three. Four. "Uh... no?"

"Ugh..." Ivo slapped a palm into his face, as Sparky hopped to his feet, "What use is an evil lab assistant if they keep knocking out the power to the evil lab..."

Sparky frowned as he considered his twin tails, the clone briefly wondering whose they were, before his ears perked and he looked to the doctor excitedly. "Can I have pudding???"

"No!" Ivo replied with a wagging finger, "Good assistants get pudding! Bad assistants do not!"

Sparky's ears drooped and his face fell in despair. "I'm... bad?"

Robotnik's hands remained set on his hips, his eyes glaring resolutely... before he too slumped and an apologetic grin fell over his face. "Oh... how can I say no to those big old eyes?" He said, "Of course you can have pudding! Come on!"

The other fox yipped in delight, running ahead for the kitchen like an excited child while Orbot and Cubot watched on.

"Oh..." Orbot said, clasping his hands. "I think somebody's getting attached!"

"Yeah..." Cubot murmured in reply, "And my shenanigan sensors just pinged..."

...

"Ugh..." Ivo groaned as he leaned into his sofa, gesturing irritably at the tv as the news channel played. _"Local heroes Sonic the Hedgehog and Miles 'Tails' Prower save the village from the infamous Watermelon Poachers!"_ "Stupid hedgehog..." muttered the doctor, "And Tails?! What's he got that I don't? Infernal canine..."

"Vulpine..." Mumbled a bored Miles Prower, this one presently displaced in space and time.

"Quiet you!" Robotnik snapped, shooting the fox a glare. "Get back to your own series!"

The other fox shrugged before popping out of existence, presumably returning to his own storyline in Eternal Tails.

"Uh... sir?" Orbot raised a finger, as a pair of twin tails waved behind the doctor's head.

"Quiet! I'm trying to brood!"

"But perhaps you should-" Orbot stammered as a pair of ears and blue eyes peeped from behind the couch.

"I said quiet! Are you _trying_ to annoy m-"

"SNEAK ATTACK!!!"

Robotnik squealed as, with a mighty pounce, Sparky the assistant leaped over the couch and tackled him from the furniture, slamming him to the floor and grappling with the doctor.

"HEY!!" Robotnik shrieked as the other fox wrestled with him just like a cub might with its sibling, "GET OFF OF ME!!!"

"Oh dear..." Orbot worried, while Cubot raised a finger and approached the tussling foxes. 

"No, Sparky!" The boxy mechanoid said as sternly as he could muster, "Bad Sparky! Bad Spar... ky..."

The two robots watched curiously as they realised the doctor had ceased his ranting... and instead was now _laughing_ , rolling around with the other fox like a pair of fighting kits.

"Oh..." Orbot clasped his hands together, "Cubot, that's so adorable!"

"Uh, boss?" Cubot said, scratching at his boxy cranium, "You... having fun, there?"

Robotnik seemed to snap out of his sudden trance, shaking his head and disengaging from the wrestle. "Agh! No!" He pumped his fists and scolded himself, the other fox seemingly confused at the sudden stop in the play-fight. "I am a dignified and respected genius! Not a child!"

Across from him, Sparky cocked his head and wore a bemused expression. "Are we not friends any more?"

He couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was the utterly innocent and hurt expression on his assistant's face, the fact Sparky had literally saved his life, or the 'Miles Prower' side of his personality taking over momentarily, but Ivo Robotnik suddenly felt very guilty.

"Uh... no, of course we are!" He replied, fiddling with his twin tails as he sat on the floor, "It's just... I'm too old to be behaving like that! I need to take it easy!"

Sparky now appeared very confused. "But you don't look that old!" The cloned fox cub protested. 

"Uh, yeah..." Ivo rubbed the back of his head as he pondered his true age. He had been a fifty year old human, now in the copied body of a young fox mobian of indeterminate age, his present body itself being just over two months old. "It's... uh..." He tapped at his chin, wondering how best to explain his predicament. "It's a long story!" he shrugged, wearing a sheepish grin.

"This is the tenth chapter!" Orbot added proudly.

"Eh, if you ask me this fic jumped the shark after chapter 2..." said Cubot.

Sparky's ears drooped and he fiddled with his own tails, slumping on the floor. "I wanted to play..." he said sadly.

Ivo Robotnik never thought he could ever have felt as much sympathy for a copy of Tails as he did now, but here he was. He had to remember, this clone of a clone from a dozen generations of clones... was just a kid. 

"Hmm..." The doctor said, rubbing his muzzle in thought, "You wanna play, huh?"

...

Sparky watched curiously as Ivo leaned into a large box, his legs and butt and tails sticking out from beneath the lid, before he emerged from the container with an armful of plastic. "Here!" The doctor said with a grin, "We can play with these!"

Sparky's eyes widened in fascination as Ivo dropped the toys to the floor, hands on his knees as he kneeled, ears perking with interest. "What are these things?" The cloned fox enquired.

"Action figures!" Robotnik replied, grabbing a couple from the pile, "You play with them!" He coughed in an attempt to save face. "Well, I don't! I simply keep these around for... theoretical battle scenarios! An great and evil genius needs to plan out his strategies, after all!"

Sparky reached out and fussed through the pile, eyes wide as he held a toy in each hand. "I don't get it..."

"Uh... well, let me show you!" Ivo held up his selected figures. "This is the Mighty Brain Lord!" He presented a squishy pink character from a video game, "The greatest evil genius in the universe! And these are his hellhounds!" Sparky observed as Robotnik showed him some of his Fuzzy Puppy Buddy figures. "They're all super evil and fight against Spunk Galaxyman!"

"Who's that?" Robotnik now had the other fox's rapt attention. Apparently, Sparky was utterly fascinated by the concept of 'toys'.

"Uh..." Robotnik now began sorting through the pile again, finally locating the correct action figures. "This is him!" He beamed, his pretence at his lost maturity seemingly evaporating as he displayed the toys from his cross-legged position. "He's a space ranger, Brain Lord's arch enemy! He always loses of course, because evil wins every time... oh, and this is space princess Galaxia! She always gets captured by Brain Lord and Galaxyman has to save her, but he fails every time! EVIL WINS!!! AHA!!!"

Sparky reached out and Ivo handed him the 'Space Princess Galaxia' figure, in reality a purple-clad swallow woman from some racing series, and the fox clone scrutinised the figure with intense interest. "What's this?" He said, looking back to the doctor with big curious eyes.

"Princess Galaxia!" Ivo repeated with a grin, "She's a space princess!"

Sparky seemed none the wiser. "What's a she?"

Ivo frowned for a moment, his brain calculating... before he understood the clone's confusion. "Oh, of course..." He said, rubbing his muzzle in thought, "If you come from a civilisation populated entirely by copies of Tails... then you've never encountered a girl before!"

"What's a girl?"

"Well..." Robotnik shuffled in place, wondering exactly how to approach the subject of 'gender' with an individual that was less than one week old, and seemingly knew nothing of the concept... or of many other concepts, apparently. "You see, it's complicated. Uh..."

The doctor looked down to the action figures in his hands, and sudden inspiration struck him.

"Well you see, on the one hand you have boys..." Ivo held up his Tommy Thunder action figure in display, "And on the other you have girls..." he pointed to the doll in Sparky's possession, "But then you have boys who are really girls, or girls who are really boys..." He reached out and began selecting figures, searching for individual dolls that might fit his hastily simplified explanations, "And people who feel like neither, and then you have people who might be both, and then... and then..." He shot a helpless look to Orbot and Cubot, "Uh... help me out guys?"

"Oh, I think you're doing just fine, sir..."

"Yeah, I ain't touching that with a ten foot pole, boss..."

"Uh..." Ivo blushed and offered a shrug and a sheepish grin back to Sparky. "So...do you understand?"

Sparky's eyes appeared to drift apart... before snapping into hyper focus.

He cocked his head, a strange little smile on his face. "Yes! It is quite clearer now, doctor! Thank you!"

Robotnik frowned. "Uh... you're welcome?"

Sparky shrugged, his usual vacant expression in place. He held up the swallow doll in his hands. "Can I play with this one?"

"Uh, yeah! sure!" Ivo grabbed his own figures and beamed, his previous intentions of dumping his assistant alone with the toys now forgotten. "Theoretical battle scenarios engage!"

"Oh, Cubot..." Orbot wiped a tear from his optical unit and clasped his hands together, "They're bonding! Isn't this wholesome?"

"Yeah..." Cubot replied, before hunching in suspicion. "Hey, who was that other fox who was here a few minutes ago?"

"What fox?"

...

_The next morning..._

"Ha, and there we are!" Robotnik grinned and clasped his hands as he stood back, pleased with his work. Before him, Orbot and Cubot to either side in presentation, Sparky stood clad in a less ornate replica of Robotnik's uniform. "Perfect! _Now_ you look like an evil apprentice!"

Sparky was clearly uncomfortable, tugging at the fabric and scowling. "It's itchy!"

"Oh yes, the fur..." Ivo stroked at his now close-clipped muzzle ends and hummed, "Yes, I understand. But you'll get used to it!"

"Did you ever get used to it, sir?" Orbot enquired dryly, the doctor's constant moaning in his mind.

"Quiet, you!" Robotnik muttered, before turning and adjusting Sparky's jacket collar. "Dashing! Absolutely dashing! A perfect image of myself, don't you think boys?"

Orbot and Cubot offered half to one eighth-hearted mutters of assurance, before the doctor clapped his new heir on the shoulder and gestured to the lab.

"Right! Now we are truly ready to begin your training in evil!" The doctor said rambunctiously, eager to get to work. "I have plans for an experimental new propulsion system for the Eggmobile! That should be quite interesting, and then I need to show you the designs for my Smashbot 5000! You'll never guess what it does, and-"

"Can we go to Meh Burger?" Sparky excitedly interjected, Robotnik pausing in his eager illustration with a finger in the air.

The doctor slumped, the wind blown from his sails. "Great to know you're _so_ jazzed about this evil assistant thing, Sparky..." he muttered dryly. Then a frown descended over his forehead. "Wait a minute... how the devil can you know nothing about girls, yet know about Meh Burger?" 

"Perhaps he went there before coming here?" Cubot suggested.

"But how would he even know what it was?" Orbot replied pointedly, "He didn't even know what _toys_ were before the doctor showed him!"

"Hey! They're not toys, they're action figures!!!" Ivo responded, fists clenched and blushing beneath his muzzle fur.

"Or perhaps..." Came another voice, of lighter pitch and quiet intrigue, "I have retained particular memories from my forebears, over dozens of generations of copies, reaching back to the original Miles Prower!"

Ivo, and his robot lackeys, slowly turned to regard the now utterly still Sparky, who stood with a small thoughtful smile, hands clasped behind back and extremely focused blue eyes.

"Uh... Sparky?" The doctor approached his apprentice cautiously with one brow raised, "What... did you just say?"

Sparky appeared to consider this inquiry... before his eyes lost their focus once again, and a huge rumble erupted from his stomach.

The clone looked up with an eager, idiotic grin on his face. "I'm hungry!" the fox squeaked.

"Hmm..." Ivo mused, tapping his chin as he regarded his apprentice, "Perhaps my new assistant isn't as dumb as I thought!"

"Well, sir..." Orbot replied, "We did observe that the other clones appeared to become more intellectually sound as they aged!"

"Yeah!" Cubot added, "They got smarter, too!"

"That's correct!" Ivo grinned while Sparky began playing with his own tails, "It seems our little friend is growing up! And a growing boy needs his food!"

Sparky perked up at the mention of food, his tails flopping back behind him as he beamed. "We go to Meh Burger???"

"Well, I was going to save your 'introduction' for when you were sufficiently trained enough..." Ivo Robotnik replied, compelling the other fox to squeak for joy and hop to his feet, " But why not? Yes, Sparky! We're going to Meh Burger!"

"Yay!"

...

"So!" Sonic the hedgehog set his hands on his hips as he stood before his friends, wearing his usual lopsided grin. "What do you think of my new scarf?"

The rest of Team Sonic, seated around a table at the local Meh Burger, offered him a flat and unamused stare. 

"Well..." Amy Rose steepled her fingers and wore a very forced smile, "It's... uh..."

"It's terrible." Sticks finished bluntly as she attempted to apply camouflage makeup to her face.

"Worse than the last one," added Amy.

"Scarfs really don't suit you, Sonic." Sticks said, "You know 'dat, right?"

"I agree!" Amy nodded profusely as she teamed up with the other female, "Just because it works for famed explorer Indiana Drake, doesn't mean it works for you, Sonic!"

"Wai a minute..." Knuckles said slowly as he frowned at his Double Hammy Meh Burger, "You wear a scarf now? Since when?! That sounds dumb!"

"Well jeez, thanks a LOT guys!" Sonic said as he plonked himself a the table, setting his head in his hands with a hurt expression over his face. "Hey Tails!" Sonic nudged his unresponsive younger brother, "Back me up here, buddy!"

Tails, who had blissfully been staring into nothing with his eyes half closed, jerked in surprise at the unexpected contact. "Oh, uh... yeah!" The fox replied, offering his hedgehog brother a thumbs up. "Skydiving, huh? That sounds... coolamundo!"

The others exchanged brief incredulous glances at the kitsune's distracted response. "Uh... Tails?" Amy leaned over the table, "You haven't been listening to a word we've been saying, have you?"

"Sorry guys..." Tails shrugged and offered his friends an apologetic half-smile, "It's just...." He grinned as he leaned back in his chair, "I haven't felt so... at peace for a while, y'know?"

"Oh really?" Sonic shared a sly grin with Sticks before returning his attention to his younger brother. "And why's that?"

"Well..." Tails leaned forward on his elbows and lazily set his chin in one hand, "The sun is shining... I'm having a fun day out with my friends..." Amy cooed with adoration while Sticks simply rolled her eyes. Knuckles attempted to bite into his sandwich, a confused expression over his face as the meat slid out of the other end. "The adjustments I made to the Tornado's autopilot system are... _beyond_ advanced!" The yellow fox went on as Knuckles grumbled about his order being wrong again, "And best of all?" Tails now leaned back again and closed his eyes, hands clasped behind his head, "We haven't heard a peep from Egghead for days!" he breathed a sigh of bliss. "Nothing can ruin today... absolutely _nothing_..."

"Well!" A horribly familiar, sneering voice interrupted Tails' moment of peace, "Hello, Team _Chronic!_ "

"And there it is..."

...

Robotnik absorbed the shocked expressions of Team Sonic with relish as they fixed their gaze on not one, but two identical twin-tailed foxes clad in red uniforms. One leered maliciously, while the other beamed idiotically at the prospect of making new friends.

"Hello!" piped Sparky, waving excitedly.

"Uh... Tails?" Sonic leaned over and nudged his brother, "You... might wanna see this..."

"Ugh, no way!" Tails, angry at the disruption, turned on his evil doppelganger. "I am NOT letting you ruin my day, egg... brain..."

Ivo grinned with glee as Tails' face first registered irritation... then confusion, bewilderment, and eventually horror as the other fox leaned way back in his chair and pointed in shock. "WHAT THE HELL?!?"

"Hi!" Sparky said cheerfully, "I'm Sparky!"

Tails' eyes bulged as he regarded the other fox. "Why..." He hissed, "Do you have ANOTHER clone of me?!"

"Hey, get out of my fur!" the doctor retorted, "For once, this has nothing to do with me! This is all _your_ doing, _Fails!_ "

"Please..." Sonic palmed his face in both hands, tired of the constant bickering of the 'twins', "Just explain, Eggs?"

"Well, it's kinda complicated..." Ivo replied, twizzling his finger around a tail, "But... do you guys remember that whole incident when Tails split himself into multiple copies? And we had dozens of half-wit canines running around creating havoc?" 

"Yeah?"

"Oh yeah!"

"That was a good episode!"

"Meh, overrated imo..."

" _Vulpines..._ "

"Well anyway, it's a long story but..." Robotnik rubbed at his muzzle and frowned, "Basically... two of them escaped into the jungle and found Ancients technology that they were somehow able to cobble together into a cloning machine using leftover knowledge from Tails' brain and now there's a whole city full of clones who worship Tails as their God."

The silence that followed was deafening, but expected. Until Tails shoved back his chair and raised his hands in surrender.

"I... can't deal with this." The yellow fox said flatly, "I'm not dealing with this. You guys deal with this. Peace out." With that, the kitsune rotated his namesakes, and fluttered away.

"So..." Ivo rocked back and forth on his feet, "Is everybody up to speed?"

"Well that's... interesting," Sonic said.

"Interesting?!" Shrieked Sticks, "Dat's CRAZY!"

"Eh, seems pretty clear to me..." shrugged Knuckles.

"So what's _he_ doing here?" Amy said, pointing to the new fox, who wandered away in search of food.

"He kind of followed us home..." Robotnik replied with a shrug, "But Sparky here appears to be more unique than the other copies! He has displayed immense curiosity, and even some higher intelligent thinking!"

"I want a burger, and a hot dog, and a burger, and a fries..." Sparky rolled off his order to the restaurant's drinks machine, "And a burger... ooh! And do you have any pudding?"

"I see your genius is already rubbing off on him, doc..." Sonic said dryly.

"Sparky!" Robotnik rushed to the other fox, not having noticed his absence. "Don't go wandering off like that!" He shook his head and sighed as he led the less intelligent copy back to the group by hand. "Kids, huh?" He said to Amy.

Amy offered a bemused smile, and felt a spike of awkwardness as Sparky suddenly gaped at her in fascination. The fox copy looked over the hedgehog with intense curiosity, before pointing with a finger. "Girl!"

"Yes, that's right Sparky!" Robotnik said, grinning proudly as Sparky turned to regard Sticks with equal fascination. He pointed again while Sticks grimaced with suspicion. "Scary girl!"

"HEY!"

"That's right!" Robotnik chuckled like a proud parent, "Good Sparky!"

"Wow!" Knuckles said, a big grin on his face, "He IS smart!"

Sparky smiled happily, clutching a purple swallow doll to his chest.

"Yes!" beamed Robotnik, "And with my elite tutorage, Sparky here will become the greatest apprentice an evil genius could ask for! And with his help, we will DESTROY you, Team Sonic!!!" The doctor cackled evilly before shrugging sheepishly. "Or kind of hang out and annoy you, which seems to be my usual fare these days... SPARKY, NO!!!" Robotnik again chased after his 'evil' apprentice as the fox, now on his knees, began prodding at an unoccupied electrical outlet. "BAD SPARKY!!!"

"Well doc..." Sonic said, "Good luck with that..."

...

Amy Rose sighed happily as she adjusted her shelf full of fuzzy puppies, arranging the miniature pieces into neat rows. She smiled to herself and stepped back, hands on hips as she admired her work.

Then she turned, ears perked, as she heard her front door squeak open. 

"Sonic? Tails?" She wiped her hands on the sides of her tunic as she headed through to her living room. She usually left her door open in case her friends decided to pay her a visit, but they were usually a lot more _verbal_ at announcing their presence. "Anybody?"

 _Squeak. Squeak. Squeak._ She was met with the sound of mattress springs... and the sight of a red-jacketed fox bouncing endlessly on her bed. She shrieked as she noted the damage, the sheets strewn all over and plastered with dirt.

"Doctor Eggman!!!" She cried, "What are you DOING?!?"

The 'doctor' landed on his rump and considered Amy with big, curious eyes. It was then she realised... this wasn't Robotnik.

"... Sparky?"

Her suspicion was confirmed as the fox spun his tails and briefly fluttered over the bedroom to land before her, a trick the doctor still didn't have down. She raised her hands defensively as the new fox began sniffing at her in fascination.

"Wh... HEY!!!" The hedgehog, bewildered at the fox's behaviour, grabbed his shoulder and stopped him in his investigation. "What the heck are you _doing?!_ "

Sparky cocked his head, ears perking. He pointed at his pink companion. "What are you wearing?"

Amy frowned at the curious little fox, puzzled at his statement. "What do you mean?" She said, curious.

Sparky blinked. "What's that thing you're wearing?" He repeated, innocent curiosity in his eyes.

"Uh..." Amy hummed, searching for an answer as she checked out her current attire, "It's... a dress?"

"I like it!" Sparky said happily, before cocking his head quizzically. "Can I have one?"

Amy simply shook her head, utterly unsure how to deal with the fox. Despite being physically identical to Tails, there was a completely different, innocent intelligence behind those blue eyes.

"I don't know, Sparky..." Amy said carefully, "There's a pretty big difference between girls' clothes and boys' clothes..."

Sparky appeared to deflate. "I'm a boy?" he plucked miserably at his red uniform jacket that had been manufactured for him by Robotnik. "Oh..."

Then Amy understood.

Strange. This wasn't a personality trait of Tails'. Maybe Sparky really _was_ unique. 

"Well..." Amy said thoughtfully, "I do have some old clothes left over from when I was younger... do you feel like taking a look? Seeing if there's anything you like?"

Sparky lit up as though a switch had been flipped. "Yeah! That sounds like fun!!!"

Amy smiled kindly, and led her little friend into her walk-in closet.

...

"Ugh... blast it, Sparky!" Robotnik grumbled, rapping a gloved knuckle against Amy Rose's front door a second time, "Why do you keep running away?! Good evil assistants don't abscond!"

"CAN I GO NOW?" beside him, a full head taller, Metal Sonic Mark Two crossed his arms impatiently, having been dragged along by the doctor to scan for Sparky's life signature. The mechanoid, sulky as ever, tapped a foot against the earth and glowered.

"Why?" Ivo sneered, "You got a date with your _girlfriend?_ "

Metal clenched his fists petulantly. "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND."

"Uh huh, sure..." Ivo rocked back and forth in his heels and adjusted his uniform jacket. He'd elected simply for a short jacket and boots today, in the manner of most mobian males, to cope with the heat. His fur was thickening again. He needed a trim. He ruffled his own head fur out of his face and secured it with his goggles. "Where've you even _been?_ Would it kill you to call your evil creator once in a while?"

"I'M LEAVING," Metal replied, already boosting away on his anti-grav units, "YOU'RE THE LAMEST CREATOR EVER."

"Agh!" Ivo Robotnik raised his hands in surrender, "What is it with KIDS?!" His ears perked and he turned to find Amy, now stood holding her door open, a sheepish expression over her face. "Oh, hi Amy!"

"Oh, hello doctor... uh... what are we calling you again? Egg-Fox?"

"Whatever. I don't care." The doctor grunted, before raising a hand level to his own forehead. "I lost something! Y'know, yay-high, yellow, physically identical to a particular _other_ twin-tailed yellow fox you might know? Standing in front of you right now?"

"Ah," replied Amy, folding her arms, "Sparky."

"Yes!" Robotnik clasped his fingers and wore a look of irritation. "Keeps wandering off! I know he's just curious, and barely a week old, but it's kinda getting on my nerves. So..." He looked up at the hedgehog pleadingly. "Think I could... have him back?"

Amy sighed and opened the door. "Come on in..." she said, "But... there's something you should probably know... Sparky had... one or two things to work out..."

"Huh?" Robotnik frowned, ears perking quizzically, "What's that?"

"DOCTOR EGGS!!!"

Robotnik turned at the familiar voice... and released a high pitched screech as his eyes landed on his newest evil assistant. Sparky had discarded the uniform created for him that morning... and was now clad in one of Amy's old dresses and a pair of her tall red boots, beaming with joy. Amy had arranged the fox's head fur into a tight bun at the base of the neck. 

Sparky's hands raised in presentation. "Girl!"

Ivo blinked a couple of times, before regarding Amy with confusion. "What... did you _do_ to my evil apprentice?!"

"Well..." Amy said, while Sparky began happily twirling, "Sparky came round here and wanted me to help pick her a new outfit. So I helped! Is that a crime?"

Robotnik frowned. "... _her?_ "

Amy nodded. "Yeah, I think... I think Sparky has some identity issues you guys need to work out."

"No kidding," Muttered the doctor, while Sparky grinned happily from the floor. He sighed and turned back to Amy. "I might need a little help with that? I've... never dealt with something like this before..."

"Sometimes kids need to make their own decisions that are best for them!" Amy said, fishing around inside her tunic pocket and producing a scrap of paper. "Here's my number. If you need a little help, just call! I'm sure Mombot would be happy to help, too!"

Robotnik took the paper and pocketed it, his boisterousness having completely evaporated, now appearing more like Tails than he realised. "Thanks, Amy..." the fox said, "You're a pretty good friend sometimes, you know?"

Amy snickered. "Uh, only _sometimes?_ "

"Well, I AM an evil genius!" The doctor responded, running the edge of his muzzle through a hand, "Can't be _too_ nicey-nice!"

"Uh huh, evil." Amy replied dryly, "Sure."

"Anyway... Sparky!" Robotnik turned and addressed his apprentice, the other fox hopping to his- or rather _her_ booted feet. "Home time!"

The fox beamed, her head cocking. "Can we have pudding?"

"Sure!" the doctor replied, leading his apprentice out of Amy Rose's house, "Of course we can have pudding! Say bye to Amy!"

"Bye, Amy!"

Amy simply chuckled and waved in return as the 'evil' doctor wandered away, his pink-clad apprentice in tow. 

"Still going with the whole 'evil' thing, huh?" She said lightly, "I wonder how much longer that's gonna last..."

...

"Damn it Metal..." the doctor muttered to himself, tapping his wrist-computer, "Pick up the damn phone!"

"What do you think is wrong with Metal Sonic Mark Two, sir?" Orbot enquired, a stack of empty plates in hand, "He seems awfully preoccupied sometimes!"

"What do you think, bucket-brain?" Robotnik said in reply, "He's soft for that infernal badger girl, Sticks!"

"That's weird!" Cubot added, "Why's that, boss?"

"Unforeseen personality traits!" came a higher-pitched voice in response, gaining the trio's attention. Sparky, chocolate covering her face, appeared to stare curiously at Ivo and his minions. "A result of premature activation, perhaps?"

Robotnik shared a glance with Orbot and Cubot. "Having another big-brain moment there, Sparkz?"

Sparky grinned happily. "I like pudding!"

"Sure you do..." Robotnik shrugged out of his uniform jacket, once again bare-furred in the manner of most mobian males, and set himself at the lair's living room table. He regarded his apprentice, Sparky still clad in the clothes Amy had given... them. Ivo hummed, considering how to bring up the subject. "So!" He said at last, playing with the tip of his left-most tail, "You... like those clothes Amy gave you?"

Sparky nodded happily. "I like being a girl!"

"Oh..." Robotnik looked pleadingly to Orbot and Cubot. "So... do you want to be a girl more than you want to be a boy?"

Sparky nodded again. "I think so!" then the blue eyes appeared to glow with intelligence once again. "I do not believe my outward physical appearance matches my internal identity... if that makes sense?"

Robotnik, again taken off-guard by the sudden shift in Sparky's intelligence, frowned as he considered. "I suppose that does make sense..." he muttered, drumming his yellow fingers together. Then the doctor stood and raised a fist into the air, grinning with intent. "An evil genius doesn't judge! If my evil apprentice wants to be a girl, that's fine by me!"

"Oh, doctor!" Orbot said, "That's so open-minded and accepting of you!"

"I wish he was more open and accepting of us..." Cubot grumbled.

"Thanks, Doctor Eggs!" Sparky beamed, hands grasping at _her_ stomach, "I... I...." 

"Uh... Sparky?" The doctor frowned with concern as the other fox began clutching at her gut, "You... okay there?"

"Ow..." Sparky complained, before her eyes screwed shut and she began rocking in place, clutching her stomach in pain. "Ow! Ow! Ow!"

"Hey, calm down!" Robotnik headed over and kneeled next to his apprentice, a spike of worry stabbing through his own intestines, "What's the matter???"

"My... tummy hurts..." Came a whimpered reply.

"Huh..." The doctor grunted as he observed the empty dishes of pudding that Sparky had demolished. "Yeah, I can't imagine why... Okay, young m... lady! No more pudding for you tonight!"

"No!" Sparky whined in protest, "My pudding!!!"

"Nope, no more!" the doctor instructed, "Orbot! Cubot! Help my apprentice clean up, and then take her to her quarters!" He raised a finger into the air and grinned maliciously. "We have lots of work to do tomorrow!"

"Oh yeah?" Cubot said dryly while Orbot lead a still cringing Sparky away by the hand, "Like what?"

"I'unno..." the doctor shrugged, "Probably just hang out and annoy Sonic and his friends some more. Get up to some shenanigans. You know how it is." Robotnik grinned and flopped into his sofa, tv remote in hand. "And now... time for some cartoons!"

The great 'evil genius' doctor Ivo 'Egg-Fox' Robotnik giggled with delight, wrapping himself in his twin tails as the opening chimes to Flappy the Happy Toaster began to play. Cubot shrugged, secretly relieved that the new Robotnik was nowhere near as bad as the old.

...

"Okay pal..." The squat form of a proud member of Bygone Island's mail service scratched at his butt as he handed Robotnik a sheet of paper. "Just need you ta' sign here..."

Ivo huffed as he received the delivery statement. "Two _days_ overdue!" the doctor grumbled, "I've been waiting for _two days_ for this blasted delivery!! I am a very busy fox, do you understand that?!"

"I don't care." The mailman replied, "Are you gonna sign for this or not?"

Ivo muttered something under his breath as he scribbled his signature onto the dotted line - _Ivo Robotnik the Fox._ He frowned at his own signature. He hadn't signed for anything since his accident, but the words had come out as naturally as though he'd been signing that way his whole life. He shrugged. No point changing it now. He handed the delivery statement to the wolf-mobian and received his package. "You can be sure I'm taking this up with your manager!"

The mailman leaned forward. "I AM the manager. I have no staff, which is why your parcel is running late!"

Robotnik squeaked as he recoiled, cowering behind the oversized package in his arms. "Oh, well, uh... gotta go!" he stammered, hopping up and palming the door controls, now modified for his shorter height.

He padded through to his workshop excitedly, taking a brief glance into the garden where Sparky was busy playing, watching the frogs jump around. He slammed the package onto a workbench and tore into it like a kid with a freshly-wrapped gift, and squeaked with delight at the device he revealed.

"Yes! This plasmic inductor is just what I need to boost the Eggmobile's new prototype proulsion system!" He chattered, sniffing around the thing. He retrieved a pair of claw-like devices from the workbench and slotted them onto the ends of his tails. The tri-pronged claws snapped and he lowered his goggled, ready to get to work. "Now if only I could get back that missing fuel cell that Tails stole from me..." He grumbled, his tail-hands reaching for tools and equipment, "Stupid Tails... breaking into _my_ lair?! I swear if he ever tries that again I'll-"

"DOCTOR EGGS! DOCTOR EGGS!!!"

Ivo whipped around in surprise, raising his goggles as a distressed Sparky came running into his workshop, a slimy green shape clutched in her hands. Tears appeared to be running freely down her cheeks, a look of innocent terror in her eyes.

"Woah, what's the matter?" Robotnik set his tools down and approached the distressed fox. He looked at the inert frog as Sparky held it out for his inspection. "Uh... Sparky? Why have you brought me a frog?"

"He's not moving!" Sparky moaned, "I was playing, and I found him, and I thought he was asleep! But he won't wake up!"

"Ah." Ivo understood now. The frog was most certainly dead. "Sparky..." the doctor said carefully, removing his safety goggles and gesturing his apprentice to sit beside him on the workbench. It looked like it was time for a particular conversation. "Do you understand what 'death' means?"

Sparky seemed to go blank, accessing her higher brain functions. "I... am unsure..." the fox said lightly, frowning.

"Okay..." Ivo leaned forward and clasped his hands. "Well... you see, Sparky..." He contemplated, doing his best to figure out to explain the concept of life and death to a nine day old fox clone. "All living things, whatever they are, eventually... die. One moment they are alive, just as you and I right now, and the next... nothing.... do you understand?"

Sparky frowned. "Like being asleep?"

"I suppose, but... you never wake up again..." Ivo licked his lips and gestured to the dead frog still in Sparky's hands. "So this frog? He was alive a little while ago... and now he's dead."

Sparky looked sadly at the frog in her hands, before the blue eyes met Ivo's again. "Forever?"

Ivo nodded grimly. "Forever."

"And this happens to everybody?"

Ivo nodded again. "Everybody."

"Even you?"

He considered that for a moment, fiddling with one of his tails. He had technically cheated death once already, transferring himself into the cloned body of a young fox-child... but even he wouldn't be able to keep that up forever. "Yes," he replied, giving Sparky a stern look. "Even me."

Sparky looked at the frog and perked her ears quizzically. "So what do we do with him now?"

Ivo looked over the frog and frowned as he considered. "Well..." he mused, "We could... give him a funeral?"

"A funeral?" Sparky seemed to concentrate, reaching into her subconscious for any memories that might reference these things she was learning. "I... don't remember..." Quizzical blue eyes met Robotnik's once again. "Could you explain, doctor?

"Well..." Ivo took a deep breath. He hadn't expected to ever be attempting to explain such concepts to a child before. "When a person dies, their family and friends will hold a ceremony to remember them! If you want we can do that for your frog friend?"

Sparky seemed to consider, before smiling and nodding. "Okay... that sounds nice..."

"Okay!" the doctor hopped from the workbench they shared and back onto his feet. "Then let's give our little friend a nice send-off!"

And so they did, Ivo pulling the whole 'ceremony' from between his tails as best he could. Teaching Sparky these things was taxing on the doctor. He had never expected to be, essentially, raising a child in this manner. And ultimately, that's what Sparky was. A child, learning her way through life, as best as her caretaker could teach her.

"Goodbye, mister froggy..." the other fox said sadly as Ivo finished covering the small grave he'd dug for the thing. Ivo felt a stab of sympathy for his little friend. Sparky appeared extremely put out by the whole experience. Her face was gaunt, with huge bags beneath her eyes.

"I have an idea..." Ivo said, in an attempt to cheer Sparky's spirits, "Why don't we have a nice bit of supper, eh? We still have pudding... what do you say, huh?"

Sparky managed a small, fatigued grin. "No thank you doctor," the fox replied lightly, "I'm not hungry..."

The doctor watched as his apprentice gave one last sad look to the small grave they had dug in the garden, before she turned around, tails slumped and clutching a red jacket around herself as she made to head back inside.

"Are you feeling okay Sparkz?" the doctor said, concern in his voice at his apprentice's disposition. Sparky's intelligence flip-flopped, but he had never seen her like _this_ before.

The other fox turned and smiled. "No... I've very tired... I..." the fox clutched her jacket around herself even tighter as her face lost colour, eyes going blank. "I don't feel very well..."

Before the doctor could respond, the light completely faded from his apprentice's eyes, and her red and pink clad form smacked into the grass with a soft *flump*.

...

Amy hummed to herself as she wiped her hands off on her apron, happily pottering around the kitchen while she baked. "Oh, Sonic's gonna LOVE these cookies!" She said happily, "Maybe even enough that he'll ask me to marry him!" the pink hedgehog retrieved the tray of cookies, baked in the shape of smiling hedgehog faces, and set them on the side. She removed her apron and oven gloves, washing her bare hands before finding her usual handwear.

Brief, happy thoughts of her and Sonic's inevitable wedding floated in her brain, giving her blissful pause... before her communicator began bleeping from the kitchen table, snapping her from her daydreaming.

She grabbed the communicator, fingers crossed hoping it were Sonic... and was instead met with the frantic voice of Tails.

_"Amy! Amy, please pick up! It's an emergency!"_

"Huh?" Amy frowned as Tails shrieked at her. "Tails, please! Slow down and explain!"

_"What? No! This isn't Tails! This is Ivo!!"_

"Oh..." Amy responded, slightly taken off guard at the doctor's use of his first name, "Sorry... uh, Ivo! What can I do to help?"

 _"It's Sparky!!"_ the doctor cried frantically, _"Something's really wrong with her! I... I need your guys' help!!!"_

Amy set her jaw. Despite his protestation, he sounded _exactly_ like Tails when the other vulpine was upset. "Talk to me," she said, switching her cooking appliances off as she prepared to leave her house, the cookies now forgotten.

...

Tails glowered at the pencil in his hand, the writing implement having gone utterly unused. He tried to focus. Tried to force himself to jot _something_ down on his paper. Couldn't. His mind had been far too preoccupied this last two days since... the other fox had shown up. The _other_ clone of him. Sparky.

_Not real.... I'm not the real Tails..._

He gripped the pencil tight in his ungloved hand. There was no _way_ he could be the real Tails. Ever since he had been... put back together, for lack of a better term, after his experiment in splitting himself into multiple new individuals... it had been a few days until he had fully recovered. He had been groggy, unfocused. And now he knew why.

_Because I was never fully put back together in the first place._

If two of his copies really had escaped capture - a perfectly reasonable possibility, considering the chaos of that day - then the real Tails had never been reconstituted in the first place. He himself was just a copy. Albeit a far more _complete_ one, but still... 

A copy. A clone. Not real.

The fox positively jumped in his seat and squeaked in alarm as rapid knocking rapped at his door, the pencil in his hand snapping into two parts as he involuntarily clenched his fists.

"Tails?!" Amy's voice muffled through the door, before the rapid knocking continued. "Tails, open up!"

Tails dutifully and miserable stood from his workstation, slinging his goggles to one side as he made his way to the front door. He released the chain lock... and recoiled as Amy shoved past him, a pair of very familiar yellow individuals accompanying her.

"Ah, jeez!" Tails cried as he recognised her company, "What the heck's going on _now,_ Ames?!"

"It's Sparky!" The pink hedgehog remove her jacket and helped Robotnik set his limp friend on the couch, "There's something really wrong with her!"

"Wait a minute... _her???_ " an utterly bewildered Tails watched as a very _gaunt_ yellow fox, head fur arranged into short pigtails and clad in one of Amy's old dresses, was laid to rest on the couch.

"It's a long story," Amy replied, "But..."

"She's _dying_ , Tails!" a distressed yellow fox, who just couldn't be Robotnik, grabbed Miles' shoulders and regarded him with wet, pleading eyes. "She's dying and I don't know why!"

"Okay..." Tails said, doing his best to make sense of his predicament, "Okay... let's get him... or her, into my medical bay..." He looked over the limp form of the other fox, who appeared almost corpse-like, barely breathing as they lay on the couch. "We can figure this out from there."

"Okay..." breathed Robotnik, who seemed genuinely frightened at whatever ailment was affecting his apprentice. Tails watched as the doctor leaned over the other fox like a concerned parent, even raking Sparky's hand. "Sparky? We just have to move you, is that okay?"

There was a whimper of compliance from the couch's occupant, before Ivo turned back to Tails. "Okay, where are we going?"

Tails retrieved his safety goggles and replaced them in his head. "Follow me.

...

"Okay..." Tails breathed, rubbing his tired eyes as the doctor hovered nearby. The two foxes had worked together to figure out exactly what was happening with their clone counterpart, though it was Tails who had run through most of the information, defensively keeping Robotnik away from his computers. "I think I know what's happening..."

Robotnik approached, arms wrapped around himself, while Amy sat next to the bed Sparky had been placed in. "Go on?" the wide-eye doctor prompted.

"You're right..." Tails said, doing his best to maintain a professional demeanour with the doctor. "She's dying. Her body is deteriorating rapidly. At this rate... I don't know, it might be a couple of days, it might only be a few hours, but her body _will_ give up completely. It's just a matter of time."

The doctor appeared to deflate, utter misery over his face. "But... why?" the other fox whispered hoarsely, staring through the floor.

"I have a theory..." Tails replied, "Based on what you've told me? About these moments of high intelligence Sparky displays? I think she's... and _unstable_ copy. And while she is capable of higher thinking, it's coming at a price... her body is dying, the more her intelligence increases."

Robotnik looked up resolutely. "So that's it? There's nothing we can do?"

"I didn't say that..." Tails folded his arms and glared at the doctor. "I have a plan. I can't calculate the chances of success, and it'll be risky... but if we work together, we can save her."

Robotnik set his hands on his hips. "I'm listening."

"We can't save her body. It's deteriorating too rapidly and too thoroughly." Tails explained as he stood from his chair, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "But... we can save her _mind._ "

"And how do we do that?" The doctor replied obliviously. 

"Dude..." Tails scoffed, gesturing at his double, "Because that's exactly what _you_ did! Remember?"

Robotnik's ears drooped as he considered the body that was permanently his, and his long-destroyed human form. "I see..." the doctor mused, stroking the sides of his muzzle, "Based on my designs we may be able to develop the technology necessary for mental transference... but we don't have a _body_ to switch her into!" The doctor tapped at his own head. "This vessel was mindless, _blank,_ when I switched my intelligence over. And it took _days_ to produce! There is no _way_ we can find a workable equivalent in the time that we have!"

"You sure about that?" Tails replied, gesturing as he led the doctor into his workshop. "We might not have an organic body at hand... but we do have _this._ "

The doctor gawped, bewildered, as Tails pointed directly toward the occupant of the workshop's interior - the gleaming yellow form of his beloved Tornado.

Robotnik shook his head with disbelief. "You must be _joking!_ You want to upload an organic intelligence... into a _plane?!_ "

"I recently upgraded the Tornado's autopilot systems..." Tails explained, "Into essentially the basis for a hyper-intelligent AI!" He banged a fist on the hull of the plane and grinned. "I haven't wrote up an intelligence yet, however. So she's _blank_. With a little tweaking, by my calculations we should totally be able to transfer Sparky's mind into these systems!"

"So your plan is to turn my apprentice into a light aircraft?" The doctor replied dryly.

"Only temporarily!" Tails raised his hands, "We can store her mind in the Tornado's systems for now... until we can construct a brand new artificial body for her! I'd suggest cloning a new organic form, but I don't wanna try converting twice in such a short space of time. This _is_ entirely theoretical, as of now."

Robotnik glowered through the floor as he considered. "Sparky saved my life..." he muttered, "If this is the best chance of saving hers... then I have to take it."

Tails nodded. "We'll have to discuss it with her, right? See what she wants to do?"

Robotnik nodded. "Yes," He replied, suddenly appeared very tired... and old. "I owe her that much."

...

"Okay..." Tails, clad in surgical scrubs and mask, gestured to the time on a wall-mounted clock. "We're all set... if you have anything you want to say, doc..." He spoke to the identical fox across from the bed, "Now's the time..."

Robotnik, wearing the same garments as his double, swallowed and nodded. He lowered his mask and did his best to grin supportively at their patient as she lay on the bed, tubes and wires inserted into her flesh. "Hey, Sparky!" the doctor said, "Are you ready?"

The third fox, who had remained almost utterly silent since being brought to Tails' workshop, looked up to the doctor, her eyes constricting as intelligence was forced back into the forefront of her brain. "Hi, Doctor Eggs..." The clone coughed and shuddered, her forced intelligence taking its toll on her body. "Can I... discuss something... with you first?"

"Hey, come on Sparks! Don't do this!" The doctor, who betrayed nothing of the character he had once been, rubbed at his friend's hand, and Tails swore his eyes were wet behind the goggles. "You're just hurting yourself!"

"It's okay..." the clone croaked, cracked lips offering a smile as intelligence shone in the blue eyes, "There's... only a thirty-three percent calculated chance... of this working, anyway..."

"Nah, don't be daft!" Ivo responded, "You have the two greatest geniuses to ever live on the job! We're going to fix you, right Miles?"

Tails, who had shelved his rivalry with the doctor in the interest of saving a life, offered a thumbs up. "Best team you could ask for, right here!" He said.

Sparky seemed to chuckle. "Ten days..." she said lightly, staring into nothing, "It's not a long time to be alive, is it?"

"Well when we're done with you," Ivo replied, "You're going to live a good long time! You'll see!"

Sparky smiled, bright blue eyes meeting Ivo's own. "In case that I don't," the clone, attempting to maintain a level of intelligence that was presently consuming her body, whispered, "Thank you for being my friend, doctor... and thank you for my life..."

With that, Sparky appeared to slump, eyes going blank again.

Miles coughed. "It's now or never, doc..." he said pointedly, "We have a lot of work to do..."

"Quite... quite..." Robotnik reached up and wiped beneath his goggles, before setting his mask in place and clearing his throat. "We have the tools and parts we need... we have the smarts... it's been a while since I operated on a living patient, though..."

"Yeah well..." Tails muttered. "This is my first time... so I'm following you, doc."

The two foxes' eyes met from behind the goggles as they prepared to operate. "Thank you for this, miles..." the doctor said, voice hoarse.

"Just remember," Tails chuckled, squashing his nerves. "You owe me."

Ivo moved to put his friend to sleep, when Sparky regarded him with sleepy, dumb eyes. "Can we have pudding tonight Doctor Eggs?"

Robotnik nodded, thankful for the mask covering his face. "Of course we can, Sparky!" he replied as he inserted the syringe, "We can have all the pudding you want..."

Sparky mumbled something unintelligible as she went under, and was gone.

"Right..." grunted Tails, "Let's do this..."

...

"Upload at... eighty-seven percent..." 

Tails fought back a squeaky yawn, as Robotnik returned from the kitchen with a pair of energy drinks. The two foxes had been left alone to carry out their work, and after hours of careful surgery, Sparky was now hooked up to the systems of the Tornado. Her mind had been connected via neural implant, based on the very same tech Robotnik had used to transfer himself into his present form. However, unlike his transition, Sparky's mind was being converted entirely into artificial intelligence. The means of this conversion were fantastically complex, and far beyond the capabilities of this author to adequately describe, so just go with it yeah?

Robotnik checked on Sparky's life-support, the life-signs of her organic body pulsing weakly. Unconsciousness had given her more time... but the body was nerve-rackingly close to complete deterioration. 

"Hold on, Sparky..." the doctor muttered, clutching his energy drink, "Just a little longer..."

"Everything we can do, we've done..." said Tails, stretching as he tapped at a data pad. "All we can do is wait..."

"Yes, well..." Robotnik replied, setting himself down on a chair across from the other fox, "This technology is... untested... all of it... I'm terrified of something going wrong..."

"It's your tech," Tails said, "Do you have that little faith in your own ability?"

Robotnik shrugged weakly. "Let's be honest, Miles..." he replied, "I've never been what you might call 'successful' in my endeavours..."

Tails sipped his drink, scrutinising the doctor before him. He had never seen Robotnik, in either his old human form or his present body, being so passionate about _saving_ a life before.

But then, the doctor hadn't really been the same since his 'accident' those few months ago.

"What's it like?" Miles asked, thinking of something to say to the former human who had infuriated him so much, "Switching bodies like... like this?"

Robotnik chuckled, idly running a tail through one hand. "Bright light... pain... like being born again, I suppose..." the doctor fiddled with his tail, ears drooping as he considered. "And then there were the changes in behaviour... in my personality... memory issues..." He looked to his double, a sad look in his eyes. "I know I'm not the same person I used to be, Miles... I'm not _that_ oblivious to my own mistakes..."

Tails frowned. "Doesn't it bother you?" the fox said lightly, "Knowing you aren't the same person any more?"

Robotnik shrugged. "I simply learned to deal with it, and moved on... what else can I do?"

Tails cocked his head and thought for a moment. There was something he needed to know, something he wanted to hear from the self-proclaimed 'Egg-Fox'. "If you could..." he said carefully, as Robotnik turned back to check Sparky's life-support equipment, "Would you go back?"

There was no reply, the doctor absorbed in his readings... though the slight twitch of an ear told Tails the doctor had probably heard him full well, despite failing to acknowledge Tails' query.

That probably told him all he needed to know, after all.

But then, perhaps not. Both foxes' ears perked as instruments began bleeping, and Robotnik shot Tails a look of dread.

"Her life signs are fading fast!" The doctor cried, "We're losing her!!"

Tails scrambled for his data pad, checking the status of the conversion. "Upload at... ninety-five percent! We almost have her fully converted and installed!"

"Hold on Sparky...." the doctor whimpered, "Please hold on..."

...

It was over. They had done what they could, but Sparky's life signs had faded completely into nothingness. Upload at ninety-six percent. It was over.

Sparky was gone.

Tails gently set his data pad down on a workbench and sighed, while the doctor stared gloomily at the lifeless form of his friend. The kitsune sighed. "I'm sorry, doc. There's nothing else we can do."

Robotnik didn't reply, simply staring at Sparky's limp form. He wore the darkest expression Miles could ever imagine being on that face, fists clenched and limbs slack.

"She's gone," Tails grimly checked the status of his data pad. Ninety-six percent. So close. He looked up to the still form of the fox who had once been a seemingly ruthless, uncaring villain. "What... do you want to do with the body?"

Robotnik turned slowly, and glowered at his double. He shrugged, turning to leave the workshop. "I don't care," the fox muttered, removing his surgical garments as he left. Tails drew a breath to stop him, but thought better. He knew nothing of the relationship Robotnik had seemingly shared with his apprentice. What could he say?

"I failed her," the doctor paused and glanced over his shoulder, "She saved my life... she was one of the only people to ever want to be _my_ friend," he continued, "And I failed her."

Robotnik continued, leaving a sullen Tails to awkwardly consider what he was supposed to do with the body.

And then there was a ping.

Tails' ears perked, and he checked his data pad. 

"Upload at... ninety-seven percent..." he whispered. He calculated. Her body was dead but if Sparky's intelligence was someway between it and the systems of the Tornado, there was still...

"Doc!" Miles called, sudden hope in his chest, "Get your fuzzy butt back in here! We still have her!!"

Robotnik came positively sprinting back into the room. "Wait, WHAT?!" 

"Don't ask me, dude!" Tails grinned, raising his tablet, "There's some kinda dramatic deus ex machina bs going on right now!"

"Oh, sweet!"

The two foxes leaned over the tablet as the upload status bar crawled impossibly slowly.

"Ninety seven percent..." Tails muttered, the bar climbing up. "Ninety eight percent..."

"It's working..." Robotnik said, one hand gripping Tails' shoulder, "It's working!!!"

"Ninety nine percent..." Tails said, before turning to observe the Tornado, clutches of cables connecting the now deceased fox to the aircraft. "One hundred percent!"

Miles, data pad in hand, swirled his tails and fluttered into the aircraft's cockpit. He leaned in close, observing the machine's upgraded AI systems.

"Sparky?" the doctor slowly approached the idle aircraft, peering into the hull-mounted microcameras. "Are you in there?"

There was a long silence, punctuated only by clicks and taps as Tails fiddles with the plane's systems.

And then there was a voice.

 _"Doctor Eggs???"_ a tinny, crackling, artificial voice crackled from the cockpit. _"I feel funny..."_

Tails grinned, and gestured to the plane's dash. "We got her!" the fox said.

Robotnik cackled with glee at the improbable rescue of his friend, batting the Tornado's hull with a fist. "Sparky?" the doctor said, "Don't ever do that again, you hear me?!"

 _"Okay!"_ there was a pause, the microcamera Robotnik inspected swivelling. _"... can I have pudding now?"_

"Sorry, Sparks..." the doctor replied happily, "It's going to be a while before you can eat pudding again..."

_"Oh... okay!"_

...

_Some days later..._

Once again, Ivo Robotnik found himself adjusting his appearance in his tall mirror. He tugged at his jacket and straightened his back, glancing to the portrait of his old human self nearby. He stood as tall as his three-foot-something frame would allow... before all six limbs went slack, along with his ears.

"Ugh..." he groaned, unzipping his jacket, "What's the use?"

The doctor removed his uniform coat and threw it onto a nearby chair, instead opting for his utility harness and goggles. His attitude regarding clothes was finally beginning to alter, the thick fur of his mobian physiology making garments for the most part needless.

"Orbot? Cubot?" the doctor called, pulling on his elbow-length gloves. 

"Yes sir!"

"Here, boss!"

Robotnik grinned and set his hands on his hips, tails swishing as his lackeys appeared. "Today is going to be a great day, boys!" He said pointedly, raising a finger in the air, "The Eggmobile's new propulsion system is certain to leave even that infernal hedgehog Sonic in the dust!"

"Oh, yes, Sonic..." Orbot said, offering his companion a wry look.

"Oh, uh..." Cubot snickered, "Sure, boss! Because that's totally still your ultimate goal! 'Destroy Sonic'! Riiiiiiiiight!!!"

"I don't know what you're insinuating..." the doctor said, glaring at his minions, "But however tame my recent activities may have become, I am still the greatest, most evil supervillain to ever live!!! And I will NOT STOP until that rambunctious rabble known as Team Sonic has been elmina-"

"DOCTOR EGGS!!!!"

The doctor squeaked as a yellow and pink figure slammed into him from a doorway, wrapping him in an impossibly tight hug.

"DOCTOR EGGS!!!!" A golden mechanoid, similar in design to Metal Sonic though based on the form of a mobian fox, plonked the doctor back on his feet and spread its arms in presentation. "AMY HELPED ME PICK OUT A NEW OUTFIT!!!!"

"Oh, really?" Ivo grumbled, his head spinning as the now fully-artificial form of Sparky did a twirl, showing off her brand new red tunic-dress. "That's... great..."

The mechanoid stopped in her spinning and cocked her head with a slight _whirr_ or motors. "BASED ON YOUR RESPONSE, YOUR TRUE FEELINGS APPEAR TO BE NINETY PERCENT AMBIVALENT!" the mechanoid said, vocal synthesizers warbling excitedly.

"Okay, okay!" Ivo raised his hands defensively, "Fine! You look... very nice!" He put on his best smile as he clasped his hands, unsure how to complement a female robot on her looks.

"AWW, THANKS DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky reached out with telescopic limbs and wrapped the doctor in another hug. Robotnik, embracing his fate as a plushy toy, squeaked as the air was driven from his lungs.

"Yes, YES, you're WELCOME!!" Ivo shook himself off, fur poofing out as he was deposited back on his feet. He set his fists on his hips once again and grinned up at his apprentice. "So, Sparkz!" He said, "Everything okay in that noggin of yours?"

"ALL SYSTEMS FUNCTIONING ADEQUATELY!" the new mechanoid said, hands clasping behind her back. "INTELLIGENCE HAS BOUND WELL TO CURRENT SYSTEMS!"

"Fantastic!" The doctor replied, before leaning in conspiratorially, "And... we haven't been sticking our fingers in any more plug sockets now, have we?"

There was a pause, lasting several seconds. Sparky, no longer in possession of facial features outside of a nose-like sensor module and a downswept black visor, remained still and silent. The only response from the orange mechanoid was her glowing blue LED 'eyes' slowly drifting apart. "... NO!" came the eventual response.

"Of course you haven't..." the doctor chuckled, twizzling his finger around the end of a tail. He'd let it slide for now. Sparky couldn't hurt herself in such a fashion, after all. Although he didn't relish the idea of his electricity grid being knocked out _again_ by a curious and energy-hungry robot.

Sparky couldn't help it, though. She had only been inside her new mechanical body for a few days, after all. At least her intelligence seemed to have smoothed out.

"Anywho..." Ivo said, clasping his hands behind his back as he continued walking through his lair, "I was looking for you, Sparky! We have some important business to take care of today!"

"OH, COOL!" the female mechanoid copied Ivo's hands-behind-back gait and followed on, briefly hovering above the flooring on foot-mounted anti-grav boosters. "WHAT ARE WE DOING TODAY, DOCTOR EGGS?"

"Well..." Ivo replied, checking the time on his wrist-pad and leading the mechanoid through the lair's halls, "I thought we could take it easy today... just a nice bit of 'quality family time,' wouldn't you say?"

"FAMILY TIME?"

"Yes!" Ivo said, leading her down the entrance hall. He checked the lair's external security cams. It seemed timing had been quite fortuitous after all. "There's a couple of people who would really like to meet you!"

Sparky watched, curious, as the doctor palmed his door controls and the thick front doors to the lair hissed open... revealing a trio of other robots.

"Oh!" Mombot jumped slightly, about to ring the lair's evil doorbell, "Ivo! Did you know we were here?"

"Yes, Mombot!" the doctor replied, "I planned this down to the last second!"

"Yo, bro-skimo-so!" Morpho, that Robot that can Shapeshift and Might be from Another Dimension or something, raised bags full of special Roboken nitro-glycerine and grinned widely. "Well good to see you, bruh!"

"Quite," the doctor said, regarding the third mechanoid with shrewd eyes. "And what about you, Metal?" he said sternly, "Any reason I haven't heard from you in a week?"

The sulky machine rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the cell phone in one hand.

"Oh..." Said Mombot, raising a steel hand to her faceplate as she noticed the new figure, "And this must be..."

"Yes!" Ivo replied, as Sparky cowered uncertainly behind him, "Come on, don't be shy!" the doctor reached back and guided Sparky around, the mechanoid's glowing blue eyes timidly flicking between the new arrivals.

"H... hi!" she chattered, offering a small wave, "I'm Sparky!"

"Everybody? I'd like you to meet my..." Ivo contemplated, before throwing out the term 'apprentice' for good. Sparky was family now, whatever that meant. "I'd like you to meet my best friend!" He said instead, "Sparky!"


	11. I-VO part 1

"Behold!" doctor Ivo Robotnik the Fox, former human, genius inventor and sometimes evil mastermind (as and when the mood took him), stood back and spread yellow arms in presentation before his favourite minions. "My new invention!"

Orbot and Cubot appeared nonplussed as they inspected the device, a boxy machine on a tripod, an elongated, ringed barrel pointing from one end, tipped with a spherical emitter. 

"Uh..." Orbot clasped his fingers, looking for something positive to say about the otherwise unremarkable device, "That's a... very nice laser, sir."

"Yeah, boss..." Cubot added, boxy cranium cocking quizzically, "But don't you have like a hundred of those lying around?"

Ivo slumped. "It's not a laser!" The yellow fox sighed, put out by the unenthusiastic response.

"Oh, uh..." Orbot said instead, "That's a very nice... ray gun?"

"Blaster?" put in Cubot.

"Disintegrator?"

"Shoot'em upper?"

"Agh!" Robotnik smacked a palm into his face, "Why does everyone assume all I can build is weapons?! Just because I'm an evil genius who tries to enslave-slash-destroy the village every once in a while!"

"Usually once a week, sir."

"Yeah, weekly programming schedule and all?"

"SILENCE!" The fox clenched his fists, before taking a deep breath in an attempt to manage his temper. He set one hand behind his back and patted the device with the other, tri-pronged claws on the ends of his tails snapping as the limbs waved. "This device..." he grinned, "Will revolutionise the hospital industry! I got the idea after that whole incident with young Sparky last week! It is the ULTIMATE in prosthetics tech you could ever DREAM of! I call it... the ROBOTICIZATION RAY!!!"

"Oh, that sounds quite remarkable, sir!" said Orbot, prompting his counterpart with a nudge. 

"Oh yeah..." Cubot added lazily, "I, uh... think?"

Robotnik rolled his eyes and groaned. "Look, you nincompoops! This machine..." the doctor continued, "is capable of completely converting organic material into artificial! Say a person is involved in a horrific motobug accident, with terrible injuries and a slim chance of survival? They can be completely cured by simply altering the affected tissue into machine! VOILA! Instant cure!"

"That..." If Orbot could suck in air through his teeth he would have, as he deconstructed the doctor's logic. "Sounds _interesting,_ sir..." He said, searching for anything constructive he could add that wouldn't send the doctor into a tantrum, "But wouldn't your efforts be better spent finding ways of simply _healing_ the damaged tissue instead?"

"Uh, robots are kinda my _thing??_ " Robotnik said sarcastically, "It's in my _name???_ Besides, I had to find _some_ use for this thing! I _was_ originally going to use it to turn people into unwilling robotic slaves with no personality or individual thought, but giving somebody a robot leg and charging them extortionate prices works out too! And with no need for that barbaric amputation business! I amaze myself sometimes..."

"Of course, sir..." Orbot sighed, while Cubot snoozed beside him. 

"Now!" Ivo lowered his safety goggles and adjusted his gloves, grinning like a fluffy mad scientist, "Time for a small experiment!" The doctor briefly attempted to hover over to a nearby workbench with his tails, fell flat on his face, and grumbled as he climbed back to his feet. He cleared his throat and gestured to the workbench, upon which sat a small cup with a white egg inside.

"Observe!" the doctor said, "I am going... to roboticize this egg!"

"So..." mused Orbot, "You're going to create a robot egg."

"I sure hope a robot chicken doesn't hatch out of it!" replied Cubot.

"Shut up!" the doctor scrambled back to his position behind the Roboticizer and gestured for the two mechanoids to move out of the way. "And I'd stay clear if I were you! This WON'T react well to already artificial material!" He hunched behind the controls like he were manning a machinegun nest, and sighted the barrel at the egg. "Anywho... FIRE IN THE HOLE!!!"

He pulled the trigger, releasing a bright white beam of energy that utterly encapsulated the egg. The device whined, there was a _fwash,_ and then all fell silent. The doctor hopped from his position and scurried to the target, grinning as he retrieved a now utterly metallic, gleaming steel egg.

"Success!" The fox beamed, raising his goggles.

"Wow, you sure... turned that egg into a robot, I suppose..." Orbot replied uncertainly.

"Maybe you could supersize it and create some kind of egg-shaped battle station?" Cubot suggested.

"What, like a Death Egg?" Ivo scoffed as he tossed the egg over his shoulder. "That would never work... anyway! Time to test this baby out on some larger targets!"

Orbot and Cubot groaned as they dutifully followed their creator, wondering just how _this_ caper was going to end.

...

"Ha!" the doctor grinned as he raised his goggles and headed over to inspect a newly roboticized tree, steel leaves shimmering and mechanical branches whirring as they moved. He beamed back at his subordinates. "That makes yet another successful experiment! Mark that down, boys!"

"Yes sir!" Orbot turned to his companion as they hovered beside the hissing Roboticizer, the doctor continuing to inspect his work. "You know, Cubot, this is actually rather fulfilling, isn't it? Assisting the doctor with his experiments, just as we were originally designed to do?"

"Wait, that's what we were built for?" Cubot flinched as a high-pitched bleeping noise began emitting from the device, "I thought we were kinda just here to be kicked around!"

"That does appear to be our lot in life..." Orbot agreed. "AH! What IS that noise?!"

"I dunno, but it's making me wanna remove my own audio processors!"

"AGH!!!" Robotnik grimaced and hunched, grabbing his ears as the bleeping continued, "What's going ON over there?! You two imbeciles better not have broken anything!!!"

"We don't know sir, it won't stop!" Orbot replied, hopping up behind the controls, "Something must be going wrong!"

"It's okay boss, we'll sort this out!" Cubot raised a thumbs-up to his creator as the two mechanoids inspected the controls. "We're being helpful!"

"WAIT!" Robotnik, still in his unfortunate location in the sights of the machine, raised his hands and panicked as he understood his predicament, "DON'T TOUCH ANYTH-"

 _FWASH._ _Thump._

All was silent as the Roboticizer finally gave up and died, its innards ticking and hissing as it overheated and melted down.

Orbot and Cubot remained comically still as it dawned on them what they had done.

...

"Oh dear..." Orbot frantically fumbled with the innards of the Roboticization Ray, utterly unsure what he was looking at, "Oh dear... we are in so much trouble..."

"Stop whining and just fix it before Mombot gets back!" Cubot cried, peering over his companion's shoulder into the exposed guts of the machine.

"I'm trying!" Protested Orbot, "These systems don't make any sense!"

"Hey, boss!" Cubot called back behind them, "If you remember how to fix this, say something!"

He was met with silence, the doctor incapable of responding with any pertinent information at this time. "Uh..." Cubot wrung his hands, "If this was an accident, and nothing to do with Orbot and Cubot, don't say anything!" Again, silence. "Well, glad that's been cleared up!"

"What are we going to _do?!_ Mombot's going to dismantle us!" Orbot hovered back to inspect his creator and set his hands on steel shoulders. "Doctor, please wake up! We need your help!"

The red and silver mechanoid was met with nothing but a blank visor.

"Look, just relax!" Cubot hovered over and snapped his fingers before the visor, receiving no response. "We still have time! We can get the boss and his invention over to Tails, and he'll be able to fix this before-"

_"Ivo! Boys!"_ Mombot's cheery voice echoed from the entrance hall, _"We're ho-ome!!!"_

"And there it is..." Cubot slumped.

...

"Sparky dear, be careful now!" Mombot called after the newest member of the Robotnik family, as the pink-clad mechanical fox excitedly and clumsily fell through the door to the lair's living space.

"I WANNA SHOW DOCTOR EGGS MY NEW OUTFIT!" Sparky Robotnik, still unaccustomed to her new body, turned and almost smacked Metal Sonic Mark Two in the face with her bags.

"HEY, WATCH IT!" The mechanoid hedgehog, effectively Sparky's older 'brother', whined at the near miss, "WHY'D I EVEN HAVE TO GO ON THIS STUPID TRIP ANYWAY?"

Morpho, the shapeshifting robot from another dimension, chuckled at the eternally sulky Metal Mark Two's attitude. "Woah there, Ro-bo-bro-tay-to!" The interdimensional shapeshifter teased, "Settle your circuits, cy-bro-ski!"

"Now Metal, be nice to your sister!" Mombot scolded, "I don't want to see my children fighting!"

"SHE NEARLY HIT ME."

"METAL IS A GRUMPY-GEAR!"

"Lol, Metal is totes simping for his girlfriend right now!"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND."

"OOH! METAL HAS A GIRL-FRIEND, METAL HAS A GIRL-FRIEND, METAL HAS A-"

"Okay, time-OUT!!!" Mombot increased her height via use of her telescopic legs and raised a stern, wagging finger as the other mechanoids slumped beneath her maternal authority. "No more bickering! You are a family, and I expect you to behave like one! Do I make myself clear?"

"Oh! Mombot!" Everybody's attention was drawn suddenly as Orbot, rubbing his hands together, hovered into the room. "You're all, uh... back so soon!"

"ORBY!!!" Orbot released a startled bleep as Sparky lunged forward and wrapped him in a carapace-crushing hug, spinning around on her rotating torso. "WHERE'S DOCTOR EGGS I WANNA SHOW HIM MY NEW OUTFITS MOMBOT BOUGHT ME-"

"Uh... Sparky?!" Orbot whimpered, "Run Intelligence Program Alpha!!!"

The fussing stopped, and the recently mechanized twin-tailed fox set the robot down and set her hands behind her back. "Apologies, Orbot." a far calmer synthesized voice emanated from Sparky's vocal units, "It seems I became rather excitable!"

"CHAOS, YOU'RE ANNOYING..." grumbled Metal.

"Nyuh-huh, at least she can't only speak in all Caps!" Morpho replied.

Metal made a sound like a raspberry and Morpho stuck his tongue out at the robotic hedgehog.

"Oh, well Ivo was so excited to show off his new invention!" Mombot said in answer to Orbot's original greeting, "So we finished up our shopping and hurried back! Where is he by the way?"

"Well, Mombot," Orbot rubbed his hands together again and stumbled for a suitable explanation, "You see... the doctor isn't feeling so well at the moment, and-"

Orbot flinched and there was a pause as a blast came from the workshop, along with Cubot's panicked shrieking.

"You see, I... think he just sneezed!" Orbot said lightly, "He's... very sick! Very unwell!"

"He's awake!" Cubot hovered clumsily into the room, the door closing with a hiss behind him, "And he just blew a hole in the Eggmobile!" Cubot hesitated as his optics landed on the rest of the family. "Oh, uh... and by 'he' I mean... there's nothing to worry about! Everything is fine!"

"Everything is fine!" agreed Orbot. "Nothing has gone wr-"

Both lackeys screeched and dived for the floor as another blast rang out and a hole was burned in the middle of the door, through which emerged a gleaming gold mobianoid machine, an arm cannon raised and steaming, blue eyes glowing fiercely from a black visor as they flickered over the roomful of robots.

 _"Scanning..."_ a monotone voice resounded from the faceless mask, _"Friendly units identified. Please input directives."_

...

The Robotniks observed in fascination as the brand new, utterly converted form of the doctor stood idly in the middle of the living room, waiting for instruction.

"Ivo?" Mombot said lightly, her vocal units lowering into a cautious whisper, "Is that you?"

The golden head cocked. _"Processing. Designation accepted. New designation I-VO. Unit awaiting directives._

"Well, what happened to fox-brain?" Morpho said, the shapeshifter setting his fists on his hips and frowning.

"Oh, Mombot!" Orbot wailed, he and his boxy counterpart grovelling at the maternal mechanoid's feet, "It's not our fault!"

"It was an accident!" Cubot added, begging for mercy, "We swear!!"

"Please don't deactivate us!"

"Ivo?" Mombot repeated, seemingly ignoring the two lackeys, "Did you do this... to be more like your family?"

Orbot and Cubot glanced at one another, grovelling programs put on hold.

"Oh... yes!"

"Totally!"

"He just... wanted it to be a surprise!"

"Oh, Ivo!" Mombot reached out and grabbed her now mechanical 'son' in a hug, the golden mechanoid remaining limp and unresponsive. "This is SUCH a surprise! I never knew you wanted to be JUST like your old Mombot!"

 _"Awaiting directives."_ came the monotone reply as Ivo... or, rather, I-VO, was planted back on his metal feet.

Metal Sonic Mark Two leaned closer, suspiciously reaching out and tapping his creator's forehead with a steel knuckle. "HUH," The mechanoid said, "SEEMS PRETTY BRAINLESS."

"DOCTOR EGGS IS JUST LIKE ME NOW!" Sparky cried excitedly, inspecting the new machine beside her blue 'brother'.

"LIKE I SAID. BRAINLESS."

"Yes, he seems a little..." Orbot searching for the words, " _Non-communicative,_ since the conversion..."

"Yeah!" added Cubot, "He don't talk much neither!"

"Nyu-huh!" Morpho chuckled, "Sounds like an improvement to me!"

"Hmm... of course!" Mombot said, a finger pointing into the air, "His personality routines haven't developed yet! He must have reset himself!"

"Hmm, that sort of makes sense I suppose..." replied Orbot.

"You'd think we'd know these things, seeing as we're robots too!" Cubot added.

"AWW!" Sparky squealed, eyes flickering into blue love-hearts, "HE'S A BABY!"

"And as his family," Mombot said, proudly setting a hand on the shoulder of her new robot son, "It's our responsibility to help him grow into a fine young robot! Isn't that right, Ivo?"

_"Unit I-VO awaiting directives."_

"Ooh, that's right! _Uwnit Iwvo awaiting diwectiwves!_ "

"Orbot..." Cubot said quietly, moving close to his comrade, "What the heck have we done?"

"I don't know Cubot..." replied the red and silver machine, "But we have to find Tails and get him to fix this quick! If the doctor regains his memories... who _knows_ what he'll do to us in this state?"

...

"He shoots..." A red and white sneaker impacted a black and white ball, punting the thing from the dirt ground of the makeshift soccer pitch. 

"I got it! I GOT IT!!" Knuckles, playing goalie, dived to intercept... and promptly face-planted the goalpost with a terrific _clang_. 

"AND HE SCOOOOOOOORES!!!" Sonic slid to his knees, raising his hands in victory as the ball impacted the back of the net.

"Ugh..." the echidna muttered, dazed and confused as the ball rolled by his head, "I'm sorry officer I didn't even paint that canoe..."

"I guess you guys just can't compete!" Sonic said, cocky attitude on full display as he spread his arms before his scowling friends, "What d'ya say? Anybody up for another round with the blue?"

"No fair!" grumbled Sticks, jabbing an angry finger at the smug blue hedgehog, "You keep using your super speed, Sonic!"

"Literally nobody can keep up with you!" Amy agreed, folding her arms and pouting.

"Hey, I was goin' easy on ya that time!" The hedgehog replied, retrieving the ball from the pitch and tossing it to his female counterpart. "You're all too jealous because you're too _slow!_ "

"Why do I feel like we've had this exact conversation before?" Knuckles said, frowning as he clasped his hand to his head.

"That's just the concussion Knux," replied Tails, "Don't worry about it, it's just a little brain damage."

"Oh! Okay!"

"Too slow, huh?!" Growled an angry Stick, grabbing the ball from Amy, "Well dodge THIS!"

Sonic grinned as the angry badger launched the soccer ball directly at him, and he expertly punted it in a flash of blue. The ball shot through across the pitch like an inflatable cannon ball... only to be caught and stopped in its flight by an outstretched steel hand.

The whole team frowned as they considered the new arrival, golden carapace gleaming in the sun, two blue lights representing eyes curiously regarding the ball from a down-swept visor. 

The owner looked up, neck motors whirring. _"Please explain the function."_

Sonic and Tails exchanged a briefly confused glance while Sticks growled, Knuckles and Amy coming to stand alongside them. Tails leaned his head forward and squinted. "Sparky?

The lone mechanoid cocked its head. _"Negative. Unit designation: I-VO."_

"Eye-Voh?" Amy repeated curiously, glanced incredulously at her friends. 

"Wait a minute..." Tails said thoughtfully, "Is that-"

The yellow kitsune was cut off by the sound of roaring engines, and the team checked the sky to find a trio of other robots boosting through the air toward them, before slamming into the dirt pitch.

"DOCTOR EGGS! WE FOUND YOU!" The first new arrival, very similar in construction to the strange mechanoid though more feminine in build and clad in a red dress and boots, approached cheerfully. "OH, HI MISTER TAILS!"

Team Sonic watched curiously as Sparky moved toward the new robot, along with what was clearly Metal Sonic Mark Two and an unfamiliar droid of a matching style.

"Uh... Sparky?" Tails said cautiously to the female mech, who had once been an organic clone of himself, "What's... going on?"

"Oh my Gods..." Amy said, the penny suddenly dropping as she regarded the brand new robot, "Is that... Robotnik?!"

"AGH!" Sticks shrieked, "Why are so many foxes turning into ROBOTS these days?!?"

"I guess it's a trend right now, just go with it..." replied Sonic.

"What happened to him _this_ time..." sighed Tails, already done with whatever shenanigans the doctor had gotten himself into now.

"DOCTOR EGGS WANTED TO BE A ROBOT LIKE ME!" Sparky replied, synthesized voice chattering happily, "SO HE TURNED HIMSELF INTO ONE!"

"Now we're totally ro-bros!" the unfamiliar light blue duplicate of Metal Sonic chipped in, the team only now noticing the ridiculous blond moustache and the sunglasses bolted to the visor. "It's kinda wicked!"

"Oh, hi Morpho!" Amy gave the shapeshifter a small wave.

"Sup!"

Sonic waved his hand in front of Robotnik's visor. "Hmm. Pretty brainless, huh?"

"THAT'S WHAT I SAID." Metal Sonic Mark Two added, sheepishly avoiding eye contact with Sticks.

Sparky seemed to shudder, before her hands clasped behind her back and her eyes glowed a little brighter. "The doctor's personality appears to have been reset, and it is our duty as his family to assist him in forming new behaviour subroutines!"

"Are you absolutely _sure_ this was intentional?" Tails inspected the blank visage of his now mechanical double, inspecting the golden armoured form. "As much as I don't like the guy I don't recall him ever wanting to actually _become_ a mindless machine..." The fox's ears perked and he shrank back as he suddenly registered offended glares from the family of mechanoids. "Uh... no offense!"

"OMG I JUST HAD A SUPER COOL IDEA!!!" Everybody covered their ears or audio receptors as Sparky's synthesized voice squealed at a painfully high pitch and the red-clad fox mech did a backflip with her anti-grav boosters, "THIS GAME LOOKS FUN! CAN WE PLAY?!"

"Huh," Sonic huffed, a cocky grin working its way onto his face, "You sure you wanna go toe-to-toe with Team Sonic?"

"WE COULD DISSASEMBLE YOU IN NO TIME, INFERIOR!" Metal Sonic Mark Two lowered his visor and raised a fist at the challenge.

"Oh, bring it on, faker!" 

"Yeah, not to be 'that guy'..." Morpho put in, "But you guys have five players! There's just four of us!"

"I wouldn't worry about that," Sticks replied as she led a highly disoriented Knuckles to the side of the pitch, "I don't think Knux is gonna be with us for a while!"

"I'm sorry mama I didn't mean to miss the sandwich!" the echidna flopped onto his back, out like a light.

"So that's four on four!" Sonic grinned mischievously, gesturing at the utterly inert Robotnik. "Think your braindead boss can handle it?"

Metal Sonic grabbed the soccer ball from his creator, who remained still. "GIVE US FIVE MINUTES, HEDGEHOG."

...

"This is gonna be a cakewalk!" Sonic said happily, as the Robotniks attempted to explain the rules of soccer to their blank creator. "How d'you think he managed to screw up _this_ time?"

"I don't know, Sonic..." Amy said, "But I'm kinda worried... he doesn't seem to have _any_ personality at all!"

"And 'dat's supposed to be a bad thing?" muttered Sticks, bringing a snicker from Tails.

" _Yes,_ guys!" Amy replied indignantly, "This is clearly the result of some accident! However he did it he might have... erased himself! Can you imagine it, Sonic?" She lightly clutched Sonic's arm. "A mind, blank... clear of thought?"

"Yeah, let's leave the Star Trek crap until _after_ we've kicked eggy's butt?"

"LET THE GAMES BEGIN!" cried an exuberant Knuckles from the sidelines.

"Huh, I didn't know Knux was refereeing?" Sticks said, puzzled.

"Neither does he," replied Tails, "He thinks he's opening the Olympics..."

"SIR MARIO, COULD I PLEASE GET YOUR AUTOGRAPH?!" The still baffled echidna blathered.

Nevertheless, both teams were eventually lined up, and the match was underway.

Naturally, Sonic was the first to get the ball. "Ha! You can't beat me, faker!" Sonic taunted Metal, before the moody mech tackled and took possession from his organic nemesis.

"INFERIOR," The mechanoid grumbled, boosting across the pitch toward the goal... only to screech to a halt before a familiar brown badger. "OH, STICKS..." the robot fumbled, forgetting his primary objective, "FANCY MEETING YOU HERE..."

"Huh?!" An oblivious badger simply frowned, utterly unsure how to proceed, "What 'da heck're ya doin', Mets?"

"YOINK!" A yellow streak flashed between the pair, Tails taking possession of the ball from Metal. "Superior technology my a-AGH!"

"HI MISTER TAILS!" Sparky appeared alongside him, matching his pace. "I CALCULATE A NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT CHANCE OF ME PREVENTING YOU FROM REACHING THE GOAL BEFORE- HEY!"

"Only if I let ya keep yapping!" Tails reversed and swiftly punted the ball to Sonic. "Sonic! It's all you!"

Sonic yelled in triumph as he intercepted the ball and turned to face the goal. He grinned, time slowing down, as he realised Robotnik hadn't moved a proverbial muscle the entire match so far.

Sonic was vaguely aware of the his teammates cheering him on, while Morpho was hot on his tail, calling to his stationary brother.

"Come on, dude!" Morpho, his shapeshifting abilities giving him speed almost like that of Sonic, "Do something, bro!"

The golden mechanoid, quietly observing the match, understood its directives. _"Understood. Hostile target acquired."_

With that, faster than Sonic had been prepared for, the machine that had come of Robotnik thrust forward to intercept, and inserted its left fist into the hedgehog's abdomen. Sonic sputtered, wheezing as the wind was driven from his body and he was tossed back up the pitch with the force of the blow, scraping to a halt in the dirt.

...

"What the HECK, egg-for brains?!" Sonic coughed, clutching his torso as Tails tended to him on the sidelines, "This was a FRIENDLY match!!!"

"HE DOESN'T UNDERSTAND!" Sparky replied, upset that anybody had gotten hurt.

"PRETTY FUNNY THOUGH," Metal Sonic Mark Two shrugged, earning a glower from Sticks.

"'Dat's not what I saw!" she growled, looking over the robots with distaste. "I just saw one a' my friends get clobbered into next week by 'dat bucket-head!" Sticks didn't seem to notice Metal Sonic as the blue mech slumped dejectedly. 

"Guys, calm down!" Amy said, stepping in to attempt mediate the argument, "There's clearly something very wrong with the doctor's mind!"

"Hey, I've been saying that for ages!" chuckled Morpho from nearby, gaining a vicious look from Amy.

"I agree with Amy..." Tails said, everyone looking to the small fox with disbelief that he would stand up for the doctor. Tails approached the mechanised mobian with curiosity in his eyes, inspecting the robot closely. "There's something not right... whatever he's done, we need to figure out a way to bring him back before anyone else gets hurt..."

"Yeah, well!" the badger snarled, grabbing the ball from the ground and glaring at the roboticized doctor. "You guys either fix him or keep him the heck away from our friends!" 

The badger threw the ball at the unmoving form of I-VO, the mechanoid's blue eyes locking onto the ball as his targeting systems booted up. There was a blast of energy as his arm cannon swiftly sighted the ball, and reduced it to vapor with a _FWASH_.

_"Target eliminated. Unit I-VO standing by for directives."_

The silence that followed was broken by Morpho first. "You guys, I think he might need reworking!"

"I think you need to get him the HECK OUTTA HERE!!!" Sticks screeched.

"OH, COME ON DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky said helpfully, beginning to guide the bot away by the hand. "LET'S GO HOME TO MOMBOT!"

"Yeah, 'dat's right! Get 'dat crazy bucket a' bolts away from my friends!" Sticks called after the Robotniks. 

"Give it a rest Sticks, my head's pounding!" Sonic said as he climbed to his feet.

"And the gold medal goes to the contestant from Mushroom Kingdom!" Knuckles cried loudly.

"Wait..." Tails said, too late as the mechanoids blasted away on anti-grav drives, their creator clutched between them like a statue. He wasn't sure but he could have sworn Robotnik's eyes had flickered and he had offered the fox a simple request.

_"Miles... help me..."_

...

None of the Robotniks nor Team Sonic noticed as, from the nearby trees, a conniving figure lay prone, spying through a pair of evil binoculars, evil uniform covered with twigs and branches to cover its red dye. The figure released an evil litle cackle as they rose from their evil spot where they evilly constructed evil plans in their head.

"So..." Berlinda, of Team Charlinda, supervillain power couple who had laid low for weeks, snickered under her breath as she watched the departing Robotniks. "Egg-head got himself turned into a mindless battle robot, eh?"


	12. I-VO Part 2

"I-VO! Here comes the hypercharged fusion reactor input!"

I-VO, the utterly roboticized and seemingly mindless doctor, leaned forward with his forearms on his knees as Mombot inserted a power cable into his open workings, his back panel open. Mombot, the eternally maternal mechanoid, continued to baby-talk the infant machine as the rest of the family sat around the dinner table.

 _"Confirmed, charging sequence initiating."_ I-VO said blankly, while Mombot moved around to his side.

"Ooh, yes! Who's a hungry little mechanoid? _Who's Mombot's hungry little mechanoid???_ "

"What have we done?" whispered Orbot, while he and Cubot tucked in to perfectly pressed aluminium steaks.

"I dunno..." replied Cubot, "but the boss definitely isn't all there!"

"What are you guys talking about?" Morpho, still in his Metal Sonic mimicking form, leaned over and grinned with the mouth he'd grown for himself. 

"Oh, uh..." Orbot stammered, "Nothing!"

"Everything is fine!" Cubot added.

"ARE YOU OKAY, DOCTOR EGGS???" Sparky, plugged into the same generator as the doctor, enquired of the recently mechanized fox. "YOU HAVEN'T SAID MUCH!"

The doctor cocked his head with a whirr and his glowing blue eyes flickered. _"Unit functioning at one-hundred percent capacity. Awaiting directives."_

"HE'S NOT GETTING ANY SMARTER," Metal Sonic, again sharing the generator, folded his arms like a moody teen and sulked.

"He just needs some time for his personality systems to align!" Mombot said, leaning forward and pinching her robot son's cheek, "Isn't that right, I-VO?"

The roboticized doctor looked to his Mombot with the slight whirr of mechanics, and his eyes appeared to flicker. _"M... Mombot..."_

Mombot released a sound of such high pitch all robots in the vicinity clamped their hands to their audio receptors. "Oh, I-VO! You recognised me!"

The roboticized doctor looked around the table, glowing blue eyes regarding each member of his family. _"Mor... pho..."_

"That's right!" Mombot cooed, hugging her son tight, "This is your family! Remember?"

_"Me... tal..."_

"UH... HI?"

"Good, I-VO! You're remembering!"

The roboticized Robotnik continued to absorb the faces of his robot family, blue eyes flickering. _"Spar... ky?"_

"HI, DOCTOR EGGS!"

The glowing blue eyes of the golden mech came to land on the cowering forms of Orbot and Cubot, who each nervously played with their hands. The mechanoid released a stuttering noise as the glowing eyes flickered. 

"Oh, I-VO... do you remember your favourite minions?" Mombot said gently.

_"I..... id.... iots...."_

"Heh, sounds like he remembers them well enough!" Chuckled Morpho.

"Oh, well done I-VO!" Mombot squealed, wrapping her son in a hug, "You're remembering! Oh, it does a Mombot's heart so much good to see her boy growing into a smart young robot!"

I-VO didn't respond, simply staring into space. His apparent attempt to reach his two clumsy assistants seemed to have taken a lot out of his systems.

"What do we do?" Cubot said quietly, the two robots having departed after the family meal, "Mombot seems real into it!"

"Of course she is..." replied Orbot, peeping around the corner to find Mombot and the family around the roboticized doctor, the tv flickering before them. "Now she has a whole robot family to raise! It's her dream!"

"Maybe..." Cubot hummed, "We should... _leave_ him like this?"

Orbot considered for a moment, before shaking his domelike head. "No, it wasn't his choice. We at least need to bring his personality and memories back so he can tell us what to do!"

"So what now?" said Cubot.

"Hmm... we need to get the doctor to Tails, first thing in the morning! Along with the Roboticizer! Tails will be able to fix this, I'm sure of it!"

...

Miles Prower was not in a good mood.

Quite apart from the existential terror he had been thrown into with the knowledge that there was an entire city of his copies living out there somewhere in the jungle, and that he might very well simply be an incomplete copy of the original Miles Prower himself... he just couldn't get any work done.

"Damn inventor's block!" He grumbled, screwing up a sheet of paper and tossing into a nearby trashcan, filled to the brim with similarly discarded scribbles - next to several other trashcans in much the same state, "Why can't I _think?!_ "

He removed his gloves, tossing them aside before leaning back and clasping his hands over his tired eyes. He released a dejected sigh. 

"A break..." he muttered to himself, his twin tails flicking lightly behind him, "A break is what I need... get away... from all the adventures, all the shenanigans... all the _distractions..._ "

_Knock knock knock._

"Aaaand there it is..." the fox mumbled, resignedly leaving his workstation to answer the call to whatever mischief Sonic or the others had in store for him today.

"Sonic, please..." the depressed fox cub sighed as he opened his door, "I'm not in the-"

"Tails!!!" wailed a cuboid yellow robot, a golden figure wobbling limply in his arms as he flailed, "You gotta help us!!!"

...

"So..." Tails said, gesturing to the unresponsive form of Robotnik as the roboticized fox stood idly in the centre of his workshop, "Old egg-for-brains did this to himself by accident?" He chuckled dryly to himself. "Figures..."

"Yes! Entirely by accident! A terrible malfunction!" Orbot said, a little too defensively.

"Nothing to do with his two favourite assistants!" said Cubot.

"What was that?" Tails perked an ear.

"Nothing"

"Hmm..." Tails ignored the babbling mechanoid and wandered over to Robotnik himself, staring curiously into the visor. A pair of glowing blue eyes stared back. "Weird, huh?" Tails said mildly, "Almost like looking into a mirror..."

"Can't imagine why that might be, Mecha-t... I mean, Tails!"

"I swear he said something to me before..." Tails muttered, "hey!" Tails waved a hand in front of Robotnik's face. "Hey, egg-breath! You in there?"

The cyborg cocked his head slightly. "Designation not recognised. Unit designation: I-VO."

"Huh..." Tails folded one arm and stroked his muzzle with the other, "I guess you really are far gone... well then, I-VO... I don't suppose you could help me take a look at this thing?" the fox gestured over to the Roboticizer, which had been clumsily gutted by an unidentified pair of mechanical minions.

I-VO's head snapped to the machine, and then he steadily marched over to inspect the device. Tails followed closely, and peered over I-VO's shoulder as the cyborg investigated the innards.

"This device is non-operational," announced I-VO, turning to regard his fleshy counterpart, "Recommend total refit of internal components."

"Yeah, I see..." mused Tails. "Can you access your old memory files? Can you _remember_ how to put this thing back together?"

I-VO appeared to consider for a moment before answering. "Yes. Reconstruction should take no longer than twenty-four hours, considering the parts we have available in this workspace."

"Great!" Tails chirruped, clapping I-VO on the shoulder pauldron. "Man, maybe we should keep you like this! You make a pretty good assistant, I-VO!"

"Thank you."

"Hmm..." Cubot hummed, "Y'know, it never occurred to us to actually _ask_ him if he could remember how to repair it himself!"

"Oh really?" Tails replied with a desert tone, "something didn't occur to you two geniuses? "

Orbot and Cubot recoiled slightly, flinching as though fearing a tantrum, and Tails narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "What?"

"Oh, nothing..." replied Orbot, "It's just... when you speak like that, you look so much like the doctor it's uncanny!"

Tails' mouth flopped open in outrage. "What?! How dare you! I'm nothing like that idiot canine, you bucket of bolts!"

There was a moment of silence before Tails slumped and turned away. "I'm... gonna go fetch some tools..." the fox said sheepishly, trudging over to his storage room.

Orbot and Cubot shared a glance. "Are we _sure_ it was the boss we accidentally roboticized?" said Cubot.

...

Charlie the desert rat _carefully_ inserted his tools into the open back panel of his power suit, tongue sticking from the side of his mouth. "Careful... carefuuuulll..."

 _BANG_. "CHARLIE!!!"

Charlie yelped with a start, his tools flipping up and over in his hands as he juggled them, the red-clad form of his wife storming into the secret lair's lab. "Yes, dear?" The long-suffering blue rat sighed.

"Oh, Charlie..." the goat-woman in Robotnik's stolen uniform jacket and goggles grinned, "You're going to LOVE this interesting new development!"

"The mortgage for this secret underground lair has been paid off?"

"No, you fool!" the goat gave her husband a slap, eliciting an alarmed squeak from the rat. "Old egg-for-brains.... has turned himself into a mindless robot! Complete with flight systems and lasers!"

Charlie ceased rubbing his cheek, a slow smile forming on his face. "Really?"

"Yes!" the woman smiled maliciously, "And I think, after the little freak ruined our plans the last time... that he could be very useful to us in his current condition... don't you agree, dear husband?"

The rat nodded, still grinning as he began checking his power suit. "Just let me get suited up... and then we can go shopping for killer robots!"

...

"Pass me the electro-wrench, please."

"Happy to!"

Tails sorted through his tools and happily handed the correct one to the kneeling form of I-VO, who was busily reconstructing the Roboticizer Ray. The cyborg reached behind himself with one of his tail-claws and retrieved the tool from Tails. "Thank you."

Tails set his hands on his hips and watched as the cyborg worked. He had to admit, I-VO was a hell of a lot more useful than he had been as the doctor. He leaned down next to his 'assistant' and handed the cyborg a sheaf of papers. "I knocked up some calculations..." the fox said, as the papers were clutched in a steel hand, "For modifying the ray..."

I-VO's glowing optics regarded the information, running the calculations through his data banks. Eventually, the optics flicked to Tails' eyes. "What is the function?" the cyborg enquired.

Tails looked at his companion like he'd asked what colour blue was. "Uh... so we can change you back to organic? I thought that was the point of all this!"

The cyborg simply looked at him blankly.

"You... _do_ remember who you are, right?"

Again, nothing but a blank stare.

"How much of his memories does he have?" This question was directed at Orbot and Cubot, who hovered nearby.

"He seems to remember some things..." Orbot said, "But not others... it's quite upsetting, really, seeing him like this."

"Yeah!" Added Cubot, "And it was totally nobody's fault!"

"Jeez, doc..." Tails turned back to the cyborg, who seemed to have phased out. "There's gotta be _some_ of your marbles in there! You said something to me, remember?"

I-VO didn't respond, staring blankly through Tails' papers.

"Maybe I could take a look inside _you..._ " Tails said thoughtfully, "See if there's anything I can do about your memories... if it wasn't too risky, that is-"

The fox trailed off as a steel hand reached out, and grabbed hold of his arm. Tails yelped, though the grip wasn't too tight.

"M... Miles..." I-VO's vocal synthesizer's crackled, seemingly under strain, "Li... sten..."

"Doctor?" Orbot said hopefully, gliding over the workshop floor. "Are you back with us?"

"Uh... doc?" Tails said carefully, the glowing eyes locked firmly on his, "You in there?"

"Miles..." I-VO seemed to be under incredible strain, the cyborg shaking with the effort of defying his own re-programmed mind, "Hard to maintain... these brief... periods... of lucidity..."

"What's happening to you?" Tails said, attempting to keep the doctor's focus.

"Programming... taking over..." I-VO said slowly, "Need you to... get inside..."

"You want me to open you up and alter your programming?" Tails said, his inquiry met with a shaky nod. "Doc, are you _sure_ that won't... screw your noggin up even more?"

"Just... DO it, Tails!" The cyborg's voice raised as Robotnik gained more control, gripping Tails' arm tighter. "I... DON'T Intend on being a mindless... drone..." Tails watched as the cyborg slowly let go of his arm, the lights in his eyes dimming as he slumped in place, his internal battle finally taking its toll.

"Doctor?" Orbot said carefully, "Doctor, are you alright?"

"He seems to have shut down..." Tails said, nudging the now inert cyborg. 

"So what're you gonna do?" Cubot said, rapping his knuckles on I-VO's forehead. 

Tails shrugged. "I'm gonna open him up..." the fox said, standing from his position and regarding the cyborg thoughtfully, "If he's being consumed by the machine side of his mind, we need to get him lucid again before-"

_SMASH._

...

Tails squeaked in alarm, Orbot and Cubot wailing in kind, as the wall to his workshop exploded inward. The fox threw himself behind a workbench as a tall, chunky powered robot stormed into the building. 

A blue desert rat sat in the cockpit, accompanied by a red-clad goat with a jetpack.

"Well, mister Tails!" Berlinda the goat-woman grinned beneath a pair of Robotnik's stolen goggles, "It's been a while!"

"Ah, jeez!" Tails grimaced, "Not you two!"

"Yes, us two!" the goat continued, "And you appear to have something we want! Charlie?"

"Yes dear?"

A gloved finger pointed directly at Robotnik's slumped form. "Get that robot!"

"Right away, dear!"

"Wait, what?!" Tails had no time to react as the armoured rat reached down and swiftly took the doctor in one huge hand. Tails hopped from his cover, shrieking as a beam of energy forced him back. Berlinda cackled as she aimed a laser pistol in Tails' direction, putting another shot into his workbench for good measure.

"Doctor!" Orbot cried, he and Cubot ineffectually hovering in pursuit of the fleeing supervillain couple.

"Ah, jeez..." Tails watched the pair depart, too quickly for him to do anything about it, and raised his communications device. "Sonic? Guys?" the fox spoke into his wrist-communicator, "We have a problem..."


	13. I-VO part 3

"Are you _sure_ you know what you're doing?"

"Yes, dear..."

Back in their evil underground lair, Berlinda set her hands on her hips impatiently as her husband fiddled around inside the doctor's head, reprogramming the roboticized fox for for their own use. A process that was taking far too long, as far as the goat-woman was concerned.

"You've been at it for ages!" Berlinda grumbled

"Do you want me to do a good job or don't you?" came her husband's retort.

"Did you check the instruction manual?"

"There _is_ no instruction manual!"

"UNIT I-VO ONLINE."

Both mobians jerked back as, with a final input of data, Charlie finally succeeded in repurposing the doctor. Berlinda regarded the cyborg curiously as I-VO sat in place, seemingly waiting for instruction.

"Unit..." the goat said carefully, "Whom do you serve?"

The cyborg spent a second processed this inquiry before answering, "BERLINDA AND CHARLIE."

"Yes..." Berlinda gave her husband a big smooch on the forehead. "YES! Well done, Charlie!"

"Anything for you, dear..." the rat replied bashfully, as Berlinda set herself before the cyborg, hands on hips and a wicked grin on her face. 

"Unit I-VO!" the goat-woman said with authority, "We are to attack the village! You will go in and destroy Team Sonic! Is that understood?"

"YES."

"Out very own killer cyborg..." Berlinda said happily, wrapping her arm around her husband, "Now we can really show those pathetic villagers just who is the most evil supervillain couple to ever live!"

"Yes, dear..." replied Charlie, "Would that be before or _after_ dinner?"

"I think..." Berlinda replied, leering evilly, "That we can eat out tonight! What do you say, dear? Take a little stroll into town?"

Charlie grinned. "Sounds like a date to me!"

...

"Oh..." accompanied by Orbot and Cubot, as well as Sparky, Metal, and Team Sonic, Mombot dabbed at her optics with a pink hankie. "This is terrible! Who would want to kidnap my precious I-VO?"

"Berlinda and Charlie..." muttered Sonic, "Second-rate supervillains"

"What do you think they're planning on doing with him?" Amy said, polishing her hammer.

"Nothing good," Sonic replied, "It's Eggs' fault they were kicked out the last time. I'd bet my spines they're cooking up some kind of revenge."

"And that desert rat's good with technology..." Tails said thoughtfully, "He worked on Ancients artefacts! If anybody else could reprogram the doc, it'd be him."

"WE HAVE TO GET DOCTOR EGGS BACK!" Sparky put in, the formerly organic, now fully mechanical fox hopping over the workbench beside Tails. Tails himself recoiled slightly, Sparky's mere existence bringing up uncomfortable thoughts about his own.

"Oh yeah?" he said dryly, still very much creeped out by the knowledge of the city-full of Tails copies that existed out there somewhere, "You know where they're keeping him?"

Sparky lowered her head, put out by the other fox's unenthusiastic response.

"I agree," Sonic said forcefully, leaning away from his position against a workbench, "We have to find Eggs and get him back."

"What?!" Sticks released a startled shriek at the declaration, hands wrapped around her shock spear, "Are you crazy? Afta everythin' ol' egg-brains has put us through?"

"All I know..." Sonic said firmly, "Is that there's an eight-year old fox kid out there needs help, who isn't as 'evil' as he likes to make himself out to be. Not any more, at least."

"So you'll help save doctor Eggman?" Orbot said lightly.

"No," Sonic replied simply, "But I will help save said eight year old fox kid. Tails!" Sonic's younger fox brother perked his ears, bringing his attention to the hedgehog. "You have plans to fix that 'robotifier' thing, right?"

Tails nodded. "By my calculations, the Roboticization Ray can be reconfigured to change him _back_ from his current state."

"Change... back?" Mombot said uncertainly.

"That's all well and good..." said Amy, "But how do we _find_ where they're keeping him?"

Suddenly, everybody's communications systems crackled at once.

 _"Hey guys, sorry to bother y'all..."_ Knuckles' voice crackled through, accompanied by what sounded like laser blasts and explosions, _"But the village is under attack!"_

Sonic looked to Amy and grinned. "I don't think we need to worry about that!"

...

Sonic skidded to a halt in the dirt plaza of Hedgehog Village, while before him citizens fled from the attack. Above, A red-coated goat-woman boosted around on a jetpack, taking pot-shots into the fleeing civilians, freezing folk where they stood while below the heavily armoured form of her husband sparred with a muscular red echidna. Knuckles put a powerful fist into the power suit's torso, sending the machine flying back into a store and trashing the building.

"Knuckles!" Sonic and company moved to re-join the echidna, Knuckles raising his fists as the mixed bag of Team Sonic and Robotniks confronted the desert rat in the power armour. "What's the sitch, knucklehead?"

"These guys are tearing up the place real good, Sonic!" Knuckles responded, cracking his namesakes with intent, "I'm keeping the collateral damage to a minimum, though!"

With that, Charlie wrenched his way out from the wrecked store and proceeded to throw a nearby car into another store, the ensuing destruction totalling the vehicle and the property.

"What would this town do without me?" Knuckles said, pleased with himself while a golden-metal form landed near him. "Oh, hi robot-Tails!"

"MISTER KNUCKLES! MISTER KNUCKLES!" Sparky, who had tagged along with Team Sonic along with the other Robotniks, warbled frantically. "HAVE YOU SEEN DOCTOR EGGS?"

"Huh?"

"UGH..." Metal Sonic Mark Two smacked a steel palm against his face. "SHE MEANS HAVE YOU SEEN OUR STUPID CREATOR?"

"AHAHAHAAA!!" Up above, Berlinda the goat cackled maniacally as she hung suspended on her jetpack, her husband below clanking into position. "Well, Team Sonic and the Robotniks! Working _together!_ How quaint!"

"You!" Mombot shoved forward, a nervous Orbot and Cubot hovering around her feet, "What have you done with my I-VO?!"

"Oh-ho!" The goat sneered, "Wouldn't _you_ like to know, you overbearing bucket of oil?"

"Hey!" Cubot said accusingly, "That's our Mombot you're talking to!"

"Yes!" added Orbot, "Now give us back the doctor before... before... we have to get all... ruffian-like!"

"Oh, you want the doc back?" Berlinda taunted, waving her energy pistol around, "Why don't you come get him?" the goat raised her wrist communicator and leered as she spoke into it. "I-VO! Why don't you come say hello to your friends?"

The group watched as, with the roar of jet thrusters, a golden-armoured form boosted over the rooftops and came to a hover beside the goat. I-VO glared down at the gathered mix of mobians and machines, awaiting directives from his present masters.

"Ah jeez..." Sticks muttered, "I don't like 'da look o' dis..."

"I-VO?" Mombot said tentatively, "Do you remember us?"

The cyborg didn't respond, Berlinda cackling beside him. "Ha! He may or may not remember you to tell the truth, the important matter is he obeys _only me!!!_ "

"Uh, I thought you said to reprogram him to obey 'us'?" Charlie said from below.

Berlinda waved a hand. "Meh, same thing. I-VO?"

I-VO turned his visor to face to goat-woman. "Yes, mistress?"

Berlinda's face morphed into a malicious grin. "Destroy them all!"

"Affirmative." I-VO's arm morphed into its weaponised state, charging with energy.

"Okay, everybody be cool!" Sonic said, addressing the entire team, "There's way more of us than them! If we work together we can incapacitate him in no-"

 _THWACK_. Sonic was abruptly cut off as a golden missile plunged into his sternum, sending him flying across the plaza and slamming through the window of yet another store. A whimpered 'time' could be vaguely heard from inside, as the dazed hedgehog finished his sentence.

...

Team Sonic instantly went on the defensive, along with Metal and Sparky, attempting to take down the reprogrammed doctor without severely damaging him. A task that was made harder by the fact the roboticized fox had seemingly been altered even further into a fighting machine capable of taking on everybody at once.

Sticks and Amy lunged forward with weapons raised, instantly being feinted and falling limp as their heads cracked together.

"HEY!" Metal Sonic Mark Two boosted forward to meet his creator at Sticks' fall, seemingly enraged at the badger's incapacitation. "DON'T TOUCH HER YOU-"

I-VO responded by unleashing a barrage of energy rounds into the synthetic hedgehog, faster than Metal could react, the robot plunging from the sky and into the ground where he twitched with electrical impulses.

Knuckles was next, roaring as he charged with fists raised. I-VO dodged his attacks, ultimately dispensing the echidna with a single, overpowering punch to the face. Knuckles fell, as limp as the rest of them.

"Ah, jeez!" Tails squeaked in alarm, taking off into the sky as a blaze of energy narrowly missed his left arm. The fox spun his namesakes as hard as he could, boosting through the air to escape I-VO's attacks.

"WOW, DOCTOR EGGS IS REAL ANGRY, HUH?"

Tails jerked with a start, only now noticing that he was being flanked by Sparky, the other robot flying at the side of the fox like a wingman.

"Jeez, don't startle me like that! Especially in the middle of a fight!"

"SORRY! SO WHAT NOW?" Sparky called over, the synthetic fox seemingly looking to Tails for guidance.

"Why are you asking _me?!_ You're the weaponised battle robot!"

"I DON'T LIKE CONFRONTATION!"

"What, you think _I'm_ enjoying this?! AGH!!" Tails flinched as a blaze of energy flashed between the two foxes, taking a quick glance over his shoulder to find I-VO hot on their tails. "Look, there's still two of us! You give me fire support and keep him busy! I'll try and find a way to deactivate him manually!"

"OKAY!"

Tails swung around while Sparky turned in mid air, her own weapons powering up.

Tails smacked into the ground clumsily, while the mechanical foxes entered a dogfight above. Nearby, a dazed Sonic stumbled from the store he had been so hastily deposited in, while Orbot and Cubot cowered at Mombot's feet.

"Jeez..." Sonic said, "Did anybody get the plate on that truck that just hit me?"

"Oh, this is terrible!" Orbot wailed, "the doctor's going to destroy Sparky! And all of us!"

"Oh, doctor Tails!" Mombot pleaded, "Is there anything you can do to save my boy?"

Tails furrowed his brow as he watched the fighting above, Sparky managing to keep I-VO distracted from their plotting below. "Orbot... Cubot..." the fox said, "What happens if what happens if the roboticizer is turned _on_ already artificial material?"

"The doctor said it wouldn't go so well!" Cubot replied.

"Which means?"

"By my calculations..." Orbot added, "any synthetic caught in the ray would be instantaneously overloaded!"

"Wait, when was that established?" Cubot said.

"Writing is hard sometimes," Orbot shrugged.

Tails snapped his fingers. "That's it! With the repairs we made, the device should be operational... Sonic!"

Sonic shook his head at the attention. "Yello?"

"I need you to run back and grab the roboticizer ray! We don't have much time!"

"On it, lil' bro!" Sonic flashed Tails a lopsided smirk, before vanishing in a blur of blue. One second ticked by. Two. Three. Tails coughed. Four. Cubot checked a watch he wasn't wearing. Five. With a snap, Sonic reappeared beside them, panting as he lugged the roboticization ray.

"What took you so long?" Tails demanded, already readying his tools to fiddle with the thing.

"Hey, this thing is heavy!" Sonic protested, "And you didn't tell me what it looked like! Do you know how much _junk_ you have lying around that workshop?!"

"Whatever! Just help me get this thing read-"

With a _thump_ , Sparky's distraction was finally over, her mechanical body falling heavily to the ground as she took a direct hit from I-VO's disrupter cannon.

"YES!" Berlinda cackled while her husband stomped into position below, I-VO hovering between the pair having been left alone to deal with the defenders himself, "FINISH THEM, MY ULTIMATE WEAPON!!!"

"Affirmative."

"Oh man..." Tails whined as he hefted the roboticizer, "Help me aim this thing!"

Orbot and Cubot hopped into the firing position while Mombot helped Tails manhandle the barrel of the device into position, until the sights hovered over the threatening form of I-VO. The roboticized fox leaned forward and engaged his thrusters, ready to take them out once and for all.

"Fire in the hole!" Cubot smacked his hand down on the activation button, the reassembled device spat a lance of blue-white energy... and the roboticized unit designation I-VO became wreathed in lightning energy.

...

"NO!" Berlinda snarled as I-VO twitched, having comically faceplanted into the dirt. Already Tails was rushing to retrieve the fallen cyborg, tools at the ready. 

"It's over, goat-lady!" Sonic called from below, "Your 'ultimate weapon' is now the ultimate paperweight!"

Berlinda bared her teeth, before a malicious smile crossed her face. "Maybe so..." she said, hovering in place on her jetpack, "but you still have the two of us to content with, _Sonic!_ " She gestured around at the hedgehog's teammates, all unconscious or shut down.

"Not for long..." Tails muttered, shifting I-VO into a manageable position. "Sonic! Keep them busy while I try to bring the doc back around!"

Sonic flashed him a thumbs up. "Can do, Tails!" The hedgehog burst into a sprint as lasers began criss-crossing around him, Berlinda and Charlie attempting and failing to make their mark.

"What are you gonna do, Tails?" Orbot said, as Tails fiddled around inside I-VO's open innards.

"Oh jeez..." Cubot said, raising his hands to his mouth, "I think I'm gonna barf!"

"I'm rebooting him!" Tails replied connecting I-VO to a data pad, " _And_ seeing if I can't reverse whatever it is these jerks did to him in the first place! Also, robot's can't barf, Cubot."

"Oh, doctor!" Mombot hovered worriedly nearby, "Do what you can to save my boy!"

"I'm an inventor!" Tails replied, tapping away as I-VO's power core began to warm back up, "Not a doctor!"

...

Sonic yelped as he flipped over a lancing energy beam, falling back into a sprint and making for a nearby building. He leapt and bounced from it, launching himself through the air and landing another spin attack on Charlie's power suit. The battle mech wobbled as its owner attempted to right it, landing on its butt with a _slam_.

"Ha!" The hedgehog chortled, "I guess you're really _behind_ on the ti- WOAH!"

The armour-clad rat had recovered too quickly for Sonic to get his 'witty' comment in, and the hedgehog no found himself dancing in spot as blue lasers flickered around his feet. "Tails buddy?" Sonic called back to his brother, "Are you finished bringing bolt-brain back around yet?"

"Oh yes Sonic, he's quite finished..." 

Sonic hopped back as, on plumes of jet flame, the doctor himself hovered like an attack helicopter into a landing beside the hedgehog, blue eyes glowing furiously at the supervillain couple who had effectively enslaved him.

"Oh, hey doc!" Sonic grinned, "You back with us, Eggs?"

"Yes!" Ivo said harshly, "And it's about blasted time!"

"And all it took was a little know-how from the single best inventor in the world..." Tails said smugly, fluttering down beside Robotnik and saluting with a wrench.

Ivo attempted to raise a finger in warning, instead bringing up his arm cannon. "Don't push it, Tails!"

"I'll push whatever I want, robo-brain! That's another one you owe me!"

"AGH! SILENCE!!!" Berlinda, fed up with the trio's bickering and angry at the loss of her 'ultimate weapon', snarled in rage. "CHARLIE! LET'S SHOW THESE UPSTARTS WHAT TEAM CHARLINDA IS MADE OF!!!"

"Yes, dear..." Charlie replied, readying his battle-suit's weapons and storming forward.

"Ready to fight on the side of good again, Eggs?" Sonic said lightly, "You seem to be making a habit of that!"

"What did I say about not pushing it, hedgehog?"

"Guys..." Tails interjected, "I don't wanna intrude but... big stompy robot of doom running right at us?"

"Oh yeah..." replied Sonic, half-yawning. "C'mon gang! Let's kick these two-bit pooper-villains outta here!"

Sonic boosted forward into the fight, Tails and Robotnik taking to the air, all three dividing the rat's attention as he scanned wildly for targets. Sonic slammed into the armour-clad mobian, delivering spin-dash after spin-dash, while Ivo peppered the battle suit with lasers and Tails worked on finding a way to shut the thing down. All the while, Berlinda shrieked from above, urging her husband to get off of his butt and fight.

It didn't work. Ultimately, by working as a team and picking apart their armoured target piece by piece, the machine finally tumbled over, its cockpit snapping open and unceremoniously dumping its skinny blue pilot into the dirt.

...

"Charlie!" Berlinda swooped above, laser pistol flailing in hand as she watched her husband, and their beloved battle mech, taken out of the fight. Below, the blue rat scrambled away from the victorious trio, desperately scanning for means of escape.

"Berlinda!" the bespectacled mobian, deprived of his suit, was now utterly defenceless. "Help me!"

The goat-woman above raised her pistol and pulled the trigger... and was rewarded with a shower of sparks and a pathetic whine from the energy weapon.

"Oh, what's that?" Robotnik called from below, glowing blue eyes locking on the flying goat, "Out of batteries?"

"Come down here!" Sonic joined in, "I'm sure we can help with that!"

"Yeah!" Added Tails, "Maybe we could plug it into Eggy's butt!"

"Hey now."

The goat offered no response, watching helplessly as the trio looked up at her... and the previously unconscious members of Team Sonic began to come round.

"Berlinda?" Charlie said pathetically, not moving from his position.

The goat seemed to consider, her eyes darting to and fro behind the goggles... before she bared her teeth with a snarl and glared. "You're USELESS, Charlie! USELESS!" She began to rise on her jetpack, retreating from the scene. "I'll be back! And when I am, I'm going to FIX you! I'll fix you ALL GOOD!!!"

With a final scream of jetpack engines, the deranged goat-woman boosted away into the darkening sky.

"Ber... linda?" Charlie simply watched as his wife flew away, disappearing out of sight.

"Looks like you need to file for divorce, dude!" Sonic said, folding his arms as he stood over the defeated rat.

"Hey, doc..." Tails said, watching the departing goat, "Think you can catch up?"

"Negative..." Robotnik said, "Systems overloaded... power low... thanks for that, by the way! Not like it HURT LIKE HECK or anything!!!"

"Meh, it worked didn't it? you're fine!" Tails waved off Ivo's concerns as the cyborg turned to regard Charlie as the rat was dragged to his feet by a revived Knuckles.

"Wait... AGH!"

Charlie shrieked as Robotnik ripped off his glasses and promptly stomped them into fragments. The cyborg pointed his arm cannon at Charlie in a warning manner. "That's for turning me into a mindless drone!"

"Doctor!"

"Boss!"

Sonic, Tails and Robotnik turned as Orbot and Cubot hovered over, accompanied by Mombot. 

"Doctor, you have your memories back!" Orbot said happily.

"We're sorry, doc!" Cubot added, "Can you ever forgive u-AGH!"

Cubot didn't even get to finish pleading for forgiveness before a yellow boot punted him across the plaza, Orbot cowering in anticipation of a similar fate. "YOU IDIOTS!!!" Ivo's synthesised voice crackled as he scolded his minions. "What did I TELL YOU about NOT TOUCHING ANYTHING?! I swear, if I'm stuck like this I'm using you for SPARE PARTS!!!"

"Oh, Ivo dear!" Mombot reached out and hugged her son. "It's so good to see you acting like your old self again!"

"Yes, well..." Ivo grumbled, "I'd very much LIKE to get myself properly back to normal! Tails? Those designs you showed me? I don't suppose you could give me a hand reconfiguring the roboticizer?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Tails chuckled, "You're MY assistant! Remember, I-VO?"

Ivo offered the fox an angry bleep in response, and then turned to check on his slowly reviving synthetic family members.

...

_The next day..._

Ivo Robotnik hummed a series of mechanical noises to himself as he tinkered in his lab, putting the final touches to the roboticization ray. He and Tails had put Tails' designs into effect, and by all calculations the device should reverse the effects of the roboticization.

"And about time too!" he muttered to himself, synthesised voice low. "I've spent days like this! Any longer and It'll be harder going _back_ than staying roboticized!"

"We're sorry, boss!" Cubot said miserably, his head currently serving as a table on which Ivo's tools were arranged. "We were only trying to help!"

"Yes, doctor!" added Orbot, handing a screwdriver to Robotnik's tail-claws. "We didn't _mean_ to turn you into a robot! We swear!"

"Yes, well..." Ivo replied, fiddling inside the machine. "At least Mombot got some joy out of the whole experience!"

"What was that Ivo?"

Ivo turned to find Mombot had entered the room, watching curiously as he worked on his device.

"Oh, uh..." Ivo reflexively rubbed the back of his head, knowing how put out Mombot was about his decision to unroboticize himself. "Nothing, Mombot!"

"Ivo, I'm sorry..." Mombot said, tottering over to regard her presently synthetic, soon to be reconstituted son, "When Orbot and Cubot told me you'd done this on purpose, I thought it was because you wanted to be just like the rest of your family! If I'd have known sooner, I could have helped!"

"It's okay, Mombot..." Ivo did his best impression of a sigh (which, as it happens, is hard to accomplish without lungs), "I know you were excited to have a new robot son to raise... and if I'm honest, I guess it _was_ kinda nice being like the rest of the family, even if just for a little while!" He shot a glare at Orbot and Cubot, his face expressionless but the intent clear. "At least it might have been, _if_ it were my decision and _if_ my personality hadn't been completely suppressed!"

The two mechanoids shrank apologetically under the doctor's scrutiny, before the cyborg himself returned his attention to his roboticizer.

"At least with Tails' help you now have a way to reverse the process?" Orbot said carefully.

"Yeah!" Cubot added, his tray of tools wobbling dangerously on his boxy cranium. "Now you can totally use it for... whatever it is you wanted to do with it two chapters ago! Something to do with prosthetics?"

"Whatever," Ivo grumbled further, "Until then this thing is going in the basement. Maybe it'll come in useful in the future, who knows... so long as _I'm_ not on the receiving end of it!"

"Oh, Ivo!" Mombot cooed, "You're still my boy and I respect whatever decision you make! If you want to be organic, then that's... that's fine by me!"

Ivo drummed his fingers on the roboticizer's casing, the tapping of metal on metal clinking through the lab. He sighed internally. Mombot had been overjoyed at the prospect of having a fully synthetic family. For what reason he didn't know. It seemed _every_ member of his robot family was oddball in their own way, and didn't behave as he had foreseen...

Ivo made a decision, snapping the roboticizer's casing shut and turning to his Mombot.

"Welp, the roboticization ray is _almost_ complete!" he smacked his hands together, metal clacking against metal. "It'll take... a couple more days of tinkering and testing, and then it'll be ready to go!"

"But doc! You said it would be finished to-"

Ivo put a boot up Cubot's backside, shutting the mechanoid up as he sailed across the lab with a wail. "Like I said! Two days... at minimum!"

"Oh!" Mombot said, "Well in that case, do you fancy a recharge? All this work must have your power levels running low!"

"Yeah, sounds great Mombot!"

"I'll go and collect Sparky and Metal, and you can join us for dinner!" Mombot said cheerily, before tottering away chuntering dinner plans to herself, even though 'dinner' for Ivo would mean plugging into a portable generator.

"Doctor, are you intending on remaining roboticized for that length of time just to appease Mombot?" Orbot enquired.

Ivo shrugged. "She's my Mombot!" He replied, Cubot wobbling back to join them with optics spinning. "And besides..." the cyborg said thoughtfully, "At least now I have all my marbles! And... it _might_ actually be nice to be just like everybody else for a little longer..."

"Oh, well..." Orbot said hopefully, "Perhaps this whole experience can help you appreciate life from a robot's perspective doctor?"

"If you mean I'm gonna go easier on you nincompoops from now on, forget it!" Robotnik snapped, "Not on your gyros, gearhead!"

_"Ivo! The hypercharged plasma reactor is ready!"_

"Coming, Mombot!" Ivo slumped and set his tools down on the workbech. "Come on, you two..." He addressed his assistants, "Let's go eat..."

"But boss! You don't have a mou-"

"QUIET!!!"


	14. Evil Tails in Time!

_Five months ago..._

"RAAARGH!!!"

Orbot and Cubot cowered as their master smashed a hammy fist into his security console, once again having watched the encounter between him and Miles Prower in the Eggmobile bay. The meaty human was livid, face beet red as he clutched an ice pack to his bruised forehead.

"THAT INSOLENT, INFURIATING, INVADING LITTLE PEST!!!" The human raged, sweat running down his face in drivels. He angrily batted stray wisps of yellow fur away from his face, the hairs a result of his most recent confrontation with a certain two-tailed fox. "How DARE he break into MY evil lair, and steal MY FUEL CELLS!!!" The doctor rounded on his minions, exposed blue eyes glaring daggers at the robots. "How in BLAZES did he get in here with NO WARNING?!"

"I... am sorry, sir!" Orbot stammered, his processers calculating a solution that wouldn't enrage his master any further. "The fox, he... expertly bypassed our security systems!"

"Yeah!" Added a quivering Cubot, "And he snuck in the back way!"

"QUIET!!!" Robotnik roared with another pound of his fist, before turning back to the security monitors and glaring as he watched the fox beat him over the head with said fuel cell. He spat another yellow hair from his lips and glared at the screen. "What were you _doing_ here, Tails?" the doctor murmured, stroking his moustache, "What were you doing in my lair..."

...

_Morning, that same day..._

All was quiet, calm, and peaceful in the fields of inner Bygone Island, nothing but animals happily frolicking around their day, butterflies fluttering through a light breeze, the morning sun casting a crisp light to the world below.

Then there was a flash of lightning. Then another. And another. By the time the slashing electricity had built into a cascade the animals had fled, and then a swirling portal opened in the centre of the chaos... spitting out a metallic, egg-shaped craft upon which clung a screaming yellow and red figure, hanging on for dear life. The craft slammed into the field, carving a long trail in the grass, before finally coming to a halt. 

All was quiet again, until the pilot came to with a groan several minutes later.

The twin-tailed fox, clad in the torn remnants of some kind of red uniform, swayed as he came around. The mobian raised his old green goggles, briefly observing his surroundings, before raising a wrist-mounted computer and tapping at the screen.

"Egg... mobile... experiment... concluded..." the fox groaned, "Report... over-charge of new propulsion systems... major miscalculation... result..." He checked over the crashed vehicle, noting the damage. "Well, not a total write off... at least, of anything other than my head! Gah!" his temper rising at the failure, Ivo Robotnik finished his recording and looked over his tattered uniform coat with a groan. "Agh, I just had this _pressed!_ " The fox removed the useless jacket and tossed it into the Eggmobile. Now appearing as just another mobian male, albeit with two tails, he stepped back with hands on hips and clicked his tongue.

"Well... there's always next time I suppose..." the fox muttered, raising his wrist computer again. "Orbot, Cubot? Meet me at the source of this transmission with tools. We need to repair the Eggmobile."

Silence. The doctor frowned.

"Orbot! Cubot! Come in!"

Again, silence. not even a crackle.

"Damn!" Ivo cursed, "Useless communications package! I _knew_ I should have sprung for free messages!"

the doctor shook his head and hopped into the Eggmobile to run a systems diagnostic.

"Hmm..." he hummed, stroking his muzzle fur, "Well, the damage seems manageable... repair the main thrusters and replace the fuel cell and she'll be good to go!" The doctor tapped at the craft's controls, and the chunky round machine wobbled back onto its undercarriage gravity field. The fox hopped back out and took a suspicious look at his surroundings.

"Huh... need to retrieve tools..." he mused. Another quick glance over his shoulder made up his mind. "Well, no sense leaving you out in the open for the local bandits to loot... come on, old girl! Let's find you someplace to hide!"

With effort, Ivo managed to manhandle (foxhandle?) the damaged machine behind a large boulder, and clapped his gloved hands as he emerged from the cover.

"Well, now that's sorted..." the fox said, "I guess I'll head home and find supplies..." Ivo frowned again, puzzled. "Why do I keep announcing all of this as though there's an audience watching my every move who might need exposition about my situation? Weird..." after a moment the fox shrugged. "Ah well. Time to go find those tools! A process that would a lot faster if I had yet learned to fly! However, I have not and so I must walk! Quite inconvenient."

With that, Ivo Robotnik the fox went on his way, adjusting his bright green goggles as he made back for civilisation.

...

"Ugh... I HATE being assigned patrol duty!" Cubot groaned as he hovered beside his red and silver counterpart, the pair of them sporting energy pistols as they floated through the wilderness of Bygone Island. "I mean, exercise and fresh air? Ugh..."

"For a start, you're a robot..." Orbot said with a synthesised yawn, optics half closed as he unenthusiastically carried out his orders, "Second, if the boss is mad enough at us to send us out with orders to 'vaporise any member of Team Sonic that we see', I'd _rather_ be out of his way for a while than _in_ it, don't you agree?"

"Oh..." Cubot groaned sadly, "We just seem to be _made_ to suffer, huh?"

"It does appear to be our lot in life..." Orbot agreed.

"Don't you sometimes..." Cubot said longingly, "wish that something would happen to make our boss... y'know, nicer to us?"

"Yes, Cubot..." Orbot replied, setting a red hand on his counterpart's shoulder, "But I'm afraid wishing never made anything come true..."

"Oh! THERE you are!!!" Both robots looked to find a small yellow fox, clad in boots and green goggles, grumpily storming toward them from the trees. "What the heck do you think you're playing at?! Leaving me in the middle of buttfart nowhere during a highly dangerous experiment!"

"Oh, uh... Tails!" Orbot said as the two hovered apart, "How... nice to see you out here!"

"Huh?" the fox frowned, setting his fists on his hips and glaring as he regarded the two robots. "Are you two _quite_ finished being imbeciles?!"

"Wow, Tails is kinda grumpy today, huh?" Cubot muttered, not quite quiet enough to escape the fox's hearing.

"HEY!" 'Tails' protested, "Have your circuits _completely_ corroded?! Do you _know_ who I am?!"

"Oh, uh... yes!" Orbot said, wringing the energy pistol he held in his hands, "And, uh... Doctor Eggman gave us strict orders to, uh... destroy any Team Sonic member we come across today..."

"Uh..." the fox now looked bewildered, "excuse me?"

"The boss is real angry because his secret project to totally rebuild Metal Sonic isn't going so good!"

"Cubot!" Orbot thwapped the moronish mechanoid upside the head, "You're not supposed to tell anybody that! Especially not about the wonky programming that's giving the doctor so much trouble!"

"Hey!" Tails now raised both hands in an effort to gain some kind of sense from the two robots, "What on mobius are you two talking about?!"

"Sorry, Tails..." Orbot said, "But we do have our orders!" Orbot said sadly.

"Better run, little dude!!" Cubot added.

'Tails' squeaked in alarm as the two mechs raised their pistols and fired, the fox turning tails and bolting back into the cover of the trees beneath a hail of laser fire.

Orbot and Cubot kept firing for a moment, before lowering their weapons to find an empty space where the fox had been.

"Oh, it appears that we vaporised him!" Orbot said loudly, as though someone were listening.

"Nah dude," Cubot said, pointing into the trees, "I think he just ran aw-"

"Like I said, I think we vaporised him!" Orbot again smacked his comrade to shut him up. "No need for pursuit! I suppose we should continue our patrol, which will undoubtedly take all day!"

Cubot rubbed his cranium before falling back into a hover beside his counterpart. "Hmm... hey, did you notice his new outfit?"

"Oh yes, the new boots and goggles were particularly striking I thought."

"Huh."

...

Ivo shrieked as he tumbled from the trees, having run through the forest to escape the lasers. He smacked into the ground, comically faceplanting in the grass before a large walrus lady and her children.

"Oh, my..." the woman said, tottering away with her offspring. "Children today! Always getting into mischief..."

"Ugh..." Ivo groaned and raised his head, seeing stars as he rubbed his brow. "What... has gotten INTO those two?" He picked himself up from the grass and brushed dirt from his thickening fur, before adjusting his goggles and taking in his surroundings. He hummed with satisfaction as he found himself now outside the main entrance to Hedgehog Village, citizens milling around and going about their business in the late morning hours.

"I swear, I'm going to dismantle those morons and use them as garbage cans..." Ivo muttered, before a huge rumble emanated from his stomach. He clutched his white belly, licking his lips at the thought of food. "But before that..." the fox said, checking his utility belt for cash, "I think I'll treat myself to a nice Meh' burger! 'Nice' being a generous term, I might add... more like 'somewhat edible'."

Thoughts of returning to his lair forgotten for the moment, Ivo Robotnik the fox toddled on his way to purchase chemical compounds that vaguely resembled 'nutrition'.

He wandered through the village, not receiving a wink of attention from the citizens. It didn't cross his mind right now that people could usually tell him and Tails apart these days simply by accessories and body language, all that was on his mind right now was grabbing a bite to eat.

"Papers! Get yer' papers here!" called a nearby merchant from one of the stalls. The pelican noticed the small fox wandering through the village and called for his attention. "Mornin', Tails!" The bird mobian said loudly, "Nice day, huh?"

'Tails' gave him a look that said somewhere between 'excuse me' and 'I will tear out your spine and beat you to death with it', but otherwise didn't respond. The pelican felt a strange prickle at the expression, but the fox merely sighed and went on his way.

"Damn..." the pelican said, "weird kid..."

Ivo ambled through the entrance of the open-air Meh' Burger, local half-star fast food joint, and felt a mild stab of annoyance as he found a familiar blue form already waiting in line. Before him, Sonic turned and grinned.

"Hey, buddy! How ya doin'?"

Ivo sighed. Still, he and Sonic weren't on _such_ bad terms these days. Not like before Ivo's 'accident', at least. So he supposed it wouldn't be too much of a chore to engage in conversation with the blue butthole.

"Hello, Sonic..." he said wearily, adjusting his utility belt and kicking dirt from his boots. "Fancy seeing you here..."

Sonic chuckled. "Jeez, lil' bro! You look _way_ past tuckered out!"

"Yeah, you wouldn't believe the day I've ha- wait..." Ivo furrowed his brow, locking eyes with the taller hedgehog. "What did you just say?"

"I said you look tired!" Sonic shrugged, leaning on the Meh' Burger counter, "Still, after all those hours you insist on putting into adjusting the Tornado, I guess I can't be surprised!" The hedgehog looked the smaller fox over, mildly curious. "New outfit buddy? Sweet!"

Ivo's mouth dropped open. "Are you kidding me, Sonic?" the former human said with a heavy dose of incredulity, "Has everybody lost their _minds,_ or have you all forgotten-"

" _YOU_ TWO!!!"

Ivo stopped in his ranting and the fur on his back stood on end with a chill, as he recognised the _very_ familiar and quite impossible voice that came from behind, and above him.

...

Doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik stood tall, his much larger human frame imposing to many mobians, though Sonic and Tails had fought the improbably shaped homosapien far too many times to be intimidated by such a display. 

"Oh hey!" Sonic said, hands on hips as he wore his trademark lopsided grin, "Fancy seeing you here, egg-for-brains!"

"GAH! Enough with your insolence, _Sonic!_ " the doctor retorted, jabbing an accusatory finger at the two brothers, "You two have ruined my plans for the LAST TIME, Sonic and Tails!!!"

"Oh man, how many times have we heard _that_ before, huh lil' bro?" Sonic chuckled, nudging Tails on the shoulder. He frowned when the fox didn't respond. "Uh... lil' bro?"

Tails simply gawped at the human before them, mouth hanging open and eyes like pinpricks beneath his weird new goggles.

"Uh... Tails? You with us, buddy?"

Tails snapped his mouth shut and looked between Sonic and the doctor, blinking rapidly as though regaining his composure. "Uh... yeah! Yeah, I'm... totally tubular, Sonic! Coolamundo!"

"Ha!" Eggman cackled, running a hand through his luxurious moustache, "What's the matter, _little buddy?_ " The human leaned over the much smaller fox, towering imposingly. "Finally overwhelmed by my superiority as the world's greatest mechanical genius?"

Tails simply gaped up at the human as though he'd seen a ghost, before backing slowly away.

"I have to go now..." the fox stammered, "I... uh... bye!"

The fox turned and bolted away, moving so fast as to leave a trail of dust in his wake.

"Huh," said Sonic, thrown off by Tails' reaction. "What do you think _that_ was about?"

"Beats me," replied the doctor, before he frowned. "I like those new goggles though!"

...

Some yards away, Ivo Robotnik the _fox_ peeked his fuzzy head around the cover of a market stall and watched as Sonic continued bickering with his old self - his _human_ self. He leaned back into his cover and closed his eyes. "Okay, get a grip Ivo..." he raised his fists and lightly knuckled his temples, taking deep breaths. "This is all a dream... all a very... _intense_ dream..."

"Papers! Get yer' papers here!"

Ivo's eyes snapped open as he had an idea. Carefully, as though he were any ordinary fox going about his ordinary business, he hopped from behind the market stall and wandered over to the pelican flogging his newspapers.

"Oh, uh..." the pelican said uncertainly, "Hi Tails! What can I do ya for?"

"Paper."

"Uh... come again?"

"Gimme a newspaper!" Ivo snapped, before flattening his ears apologetically. "Um, please?"

"Jeez, okay kid, here ya go..."

Ivo paid the man and took his purchase, flipping the newspaper open and scanning the top for the date.

"That can't be..." he muttered, "Five months? It can't be..."

"Oh, hi Tails!"

Ivo squeaked in alarm as a fair voice sounded next to him, and he turned wide-eyed to regard a slightly taller female fox.

Zooey gave him a wave. "Are you okay Tails?" the vixen said, brow creasing slightly at his startled reaction.

"Uh... yes!" Ivo replied, doing his best to come across as 'Tails-like' as possible. "Just peachy! Absolutely grand, Zippy!"

" _Zippy?!_ "

"Uh, yes, I mean... that is, I meant to say, uh... hello?"

"Tails, what's going on?" Zooey pressed, "You're acting kinda strange..."

"Oh, nothing!" Ivo stammered, clutching his newspaper defensively, "I just, uh, had a very late night is all! And lots of coffee! Lots and lots of coffee to keep me working all night! SO much coffee! Yum!"

"Oh, um... okay..." the vixen scuffed the dirt with the toe of a slipper, suddenly bashful. "You haven't... forgotten about our date tonight, have you?"

Ivo paused in utter terror, brain frantically searching for any way out of this.

"Uh..." finally, the fox gave up. "YouknowwhatItotallyforgotaboutthattalktomelaterIneedtodomoreworkIgottagonowokaythanksbye"

In a plume of dust, tails involuntarily whirling and speeding him away, the fox was gone.

"I'm... gonna have to encourage him to drink less coffee..." Zooey muttered. "Nice outfit though."

...

"Okay... okay..." Ivo tapped in commands to his Eggmobile's computer, frowning as he ran calculations through the systems. "By these calculations, I estimate I _should_ be able to return to my own time if I perform the exact same experiment the way I did before..." he spoke into his wrist computer, recording the information for future reference. "Unfortunately the Eggmobile still requires repairs, repairs I am at this moment unable to carry out. I need the right tools, and a brand new fuel cell for the propulsion system..."

The yellow fox hopped from the craft and landed in the grass, tails briefly fluttering without his notice. 

"Unfortunately there are only two places I can retrieve the appropriate parts. The first I intend to hit is Tails' workshop. The little goober is usually working alone there, should be easy enough to grab the tools I need and get out. Unfortunately, the second location is going to be a little trickier..." Ivo tapped at his screen, bringing up an image of his own fortress, situated on the craggy rock of Eggman Isle.

"I don't have the means to transport everything I need from my own fortress..." the fox continued, "And that's without having to bypass the defences in the first place. Still..." A sly grin fell over Ivo's muzzle. "Trapped five months in the past, alone, with little resources and a fool's chance of returning to my own time... a walk in the park for Ivo Robotnik the Fox!"

...

"Thanks for helping me move these crates, Sonic..." Tails said, huffing as he and his brother deposited the last of the large wooden boxes to the floor, "That would have taken me all day if you hadn't shown up!"

"Yeah, sure..." Sonic groaned, stretching his sore back, "Why didn't you call knucklehead to deal with this? He could have gotten it done in ten seconds flat!"

"I did, but he never showed up!" Tails complained, rubbing at bloodshot eyes. "And I need these parts for my inventions!"

"Still, you owe me for this buddy..." Sonic winked. "a good chili dog meal at Meh' Burger at least!"

"Yeah, sure thing Sonic..." Tails folded his arms, eyes half-closed. "Of course, if you _don't_ want me to build upgraded weapons for the team, and we _don't_ beat Eggman without my new tech, that's fine by me! I can keep working on my own projects!"

"Oh yeah, because those _never_ go wrong..." Sonic chuckled, ruffling his little brother's tired head and turning to leave. "Well, I'm beat. I'm gonna go take a snooze. See ya later, bud."

"Mhm..." Tails replied absently, lowering his usual red goggles.

Sonic frowned, registering the goggles, and the red and white sneakers his brother presently wore. "Say, what happened to your new outfit?"

Tails gawped absently at the hedgehog. "What new outfit?"

Sonic opened his mouth to argue, but decided against it as Tails hefted a crowbar with the intent on cracking open his new toys. "Nothing..." the hedgehog said. "Promise me you'll get some sleep buddy, okay? You've been pretty sketchy today..."

"Uh huh, skydiving, yeah." Tails replied, not paying a blind bit of attention. "Coolamundo."

Chuckling to himself, Sonic shook his head and left the workshop in search of a quiet place to snooze. Sleep wasn't one of the things _he_ liked to go without, after all.

...

Tails suppressed a yawn as he deposited new parts on his workbench, yipping happily at the prospect of new stuff to build. He was always building, always tinkering, always coming up with new inventions to create, even at the expense of proper sleep.

Oh well. He didn't want to sleep right now. He just wanted to get cracking with his inventions!

He spun his tails and fluttered over to another workstation, this one outfitted with a computer system that Tails had developed himself. The fox tapped away at the keys, bringing up some of his more recent designs.

"Okay... portable directed-energy unit... improved sneakers to reduce high-speed friction burn... shock spear... Sticks won't like that... how can I convince her it kills Badniks better? Hmm..."

The young fox's ear twitched as he thought he heard a scuff come from behind. He turned, frowning behind his goggles, and found nothing but a workshop full of tools and parts and his own yellow Tornado. Tails shrugged and returned his attention to his work, this time considering plans for a fox-styled android, built to rival even doctor Eggman's Metal Sonic designs. He didn't have the parts for that yet, but such a machine might make a useful ally of Team Sonic's.

Tails hummed, tapping away, flicking his namesakes obliviously... before a clatter from behind made him almost jump from his pelt and spin around in alarm.

His eyes fell on what appeared to be a mirror image of himself, cringing next to a fallen toolbox right next to the workshop entrance, eyes wide in terror as the _other_ fox gawped back with equal shock.

Tails hesitated, unsure how to react, before he reached up and clumsily removed his goggles, blinking heavily as he did so.

He scanned the spot where the double had been. Nothing. Even the toolbox had vanished.

Tails slumped his shoulders and sighed, his heart racing like a pneumatic drill. "Maybe Sonic's right..." he muttered to himself, or any _other_ selves that might be listening, "Maybe I should get more sleep..."

...

_That was too close... that was TOO CLOSE..._

Outside, across from the workshop and leaning against the back of Tails' house, Ivo clutched his stolen toolbox to his chest and panted as his heart raced in time with Tails'. Like an oaf he had dropped the toolbox, and Tails had looked at him, looked _right at him,_ and it was only down to the fox's terrible sleeping habits (and no small amount of luck on Ivo's part) that he'd apparently brushed the whole thing off as a hallucination.

"Fool!" Ivo muttered to himself, "You can't let that happen again! You _musn't_ let that happen again! You can't cause _any more_ damage to this timeline!"

Ivo took a moment to gather his nerves, adjusted the other bag of tools hanging around his hips - and turned around to walk straight into a very large slab of red meat.

"Oh, hey Tails!" Knuckles said cheerily from almost twice Ivo's height, "You called me to help move some crates or somethin'?"

Ivo gaped up at the echidna, eyes impossibly wide, before a very shaky smile pasted his face. "Oh, that's right, just... um... turn around and face the wall, count to a hundred, and I'll be right back! Can you do that for me, Snuffles?"

Knuckles raised a meaty thumbs up and grinned innocently. "You betcha!" The echidna turned to face the wall, obediently closed his eyes, and began to count. "One... two... four... wait... Tails! I can only count to four! Tails? Tails!!!"

Knuckles looked around only to find the fox with the green goggles was gone.

...

"Damn... that stupid knuckleheaded knucklebrain!" Ivo grumbled, sweating as he busily made repairs to the Eggmobile's systems, "Whatever his name is, he almost _ruined_ my escape!" the fox stood back from his position behind the Eggmobile, returning his stolen tools to their places.

"Still..." he muttered, rubbing his muzzle, "That's most of the work done... now for the hard part..."

Some minutes later, Ivo found himself standing on the beach outside of town, looking out at the craggy rock of what he had dubbed Eggman Isle, his own fortress lair standing tall like an artificial growth. He sighed.

"But how to _get_ there..." he muttered, gazing out over the expanse of ocean between the beach and the fortress, "I can get in easily enough, supposing I remain undetected while inside, but I am _not_ foxy-paddling my way over all _that!_ " He forlornly looked back to the twin tails he had never understood how to use and gave them an experimental waggle. They rotated a few times, and he shut his eyes in the attempt to concentrate more... but ultimately, nothing came of it.

"Ugh..." the fox groaned, giving up the attempt, "What's the use..." Ivo scanned the beach, his enhanced eyesight picking out a small pier further down, canoes bobbing in the waves as the owner of the small renting shop closed up for the evening.

Ivo slumped as he realised his only option.

...

"Agh... Oh, jeez..." Ivo groaned as he heaved himself onto the craggy beach of his fortress island, shaking his arms free of cramps after the journey across the waves. "Whoever said exercise was _good_ for you?! Ugh..."

The moon was out now, the trip from dry land to the island having taken a lot longer than Ivo would have hoped. Upon the moonlit rock, the small fox ceased his whining and hurried on over to where he knew his secret back entrance would be. 

"Okay..." the fox whispered beneath his breath, "So far so good..." he tapped at his wrist computer and began remotely accessing the door controls. Fortunately only his communications systems were down, which he attributed to 'strange time phenomena', rather than plot convenience.

After a short while of fussing and concentration, the secret entrance hissed open, and the fox grinned with pointy canines.

"A very cunning plan, befitting one very cunning fox!" he chuckled, before ducking into the secret tunnel, the door sliding shut behind him moments later.

...

"ORBOT! CUBOT! I AM GOING TO BED!!!"

Doctor Eggman snarled at his lackeys as he stormed through the lair in his evil pyjamas, evil nightcap and evil fluffy slippers completing his nightwear. The two robots cowered at their master's temper as they mopped up the remains of the fourth mug of cocoa that wasn't 'just right', Robotnik's disposition having not improved after several more hours working on the still inert Metal Sonic Mark Two. The doctor couldn't put his finger on it. The physical frame was completed, but he just couldn't refine the programming. 

The doctor huffed, considering other evil schemes he could put into effect against the troublesome Team Sonic. Maybe his abandoned Roboticizer Ray could come in handy.

The doctor entered his bedroom and secured the door behind him, kicking off his slippers and settling himself beneath the covers. He removed his glasses and smacked his lips happily, ready to noddle off into dreamland.

"Some day..." he mumbled to himself as he began to drift off, "Some day I will be the most powerful evil genius the world has ever seen... and everyone will bow down to me..."

Before the doctor could fully fall asleep however, a _crash_ from elsewhere in his lair jolted him awake, and he swore as his security alarms began to blare.

...

"And here we see the fox, one of nature's stealthiest specimens, on the hunt for his natural prey... the hypercharged plasma fuel cell!" Ivo muttered to himself as he silently prowled through the depths of his own lair, hardly daring to move in case the security systems were triggered. He tiptoed almost comically across a a hallway, raising his wrist computer to access another door, licking dry lips as he did so.

The door slid open and he silently entered the room, to be met with his own Eggmobile, sitting happily in the workshop, surrounded by tools and spare parts. Apparently his old self hadn't bothered to clear up that night, which made his present job much easier.

The fox hefted his tools, grateful for his enhanced night vision as he ghosted over the bay, careful not to tread on any of the spare parts lying around.

He reached the Eggmobile and patted the vehicle affectionately. "Sorry old girl..." he muttered, moving behind to access the fuel cell compartment, "But I'll get this back to you, I swear..."

It took some very tense, very careful minutes before Ivo finally had his reward, the fuel cell glowing faintly in his gloved hands. He cackled silently as he hugged the device. 

"And that's one ticket home!" he whispered, looking directly at the thing. In the darkness, the otherwise faint glow pierced his eyes, and he had to suppress a yelp as he blinked the afterimage from his eyes.

Stupidly, clumsily, his foot caught on an upturned paint can, and the fuel cell flew from his arms as he tumbled forth.

Time seemed to slow as the device hit the floor and bounced once... bounced twice... before smacking into a wheeled trolley, sending the thing rolling across the floor. In a cruel twist of fate the alarms didn't go off at that... but they _did_ go off as the top-heavy chest toppled over as its wheels snagged a snaking electrical wire, sending nuts and bolts and screws flying everywhere as it slammed into the metal floor with an almighty _crash._

Ivo smacked his hands to his ears and released a primal squeak at the piercing sounds of the alarms and flashing red lights, damning himself for his clumsiness and for not bringing along ear defenders. He scrambled to his feet, careful not to slip over on the sea of tiny parts that now littered the workshop floor, frantically hurrying to the fallen fuel cell. 

He succeeded in retrieving the fuel cell and, hoping against hope it hadn't been damaged with the impact, and his mind raced as he calculated how to escape without being seen.

He froze as the alarms were cut off, the lights stopped flashing, and a tremendously angry voice roared in the small space of the vehicle bay.

"YOU!!!"

...

"Uh..." Ivo scrambled for any kind of response he could pull from between his tails, anything at all to temper the _extremely_ angry human with the energy pistol in the doorway. "Um... meow?"

Eggman was not amused. "TAILS?!" the human snarled, visibly shaking with anger, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY LAIR?!?"

"I, uh..." Ivo stammered, ears flattening as he understood his predicament. "Need to... borrow this?"

The doctor responded by raising his pistol and sighting it directly over 'Tails' face. "The only thing you're getting from me..." the human growled, "Is a high-voltage TICKET TO HELL!!!"

Ivo squealed and lunged away, clutching his fuel cell like a newborn infant as bolts of energy smacked into the concrete around his feet. He lunged into the air to escape the volley of energy, squeezing his eyes shut as he anticipated the ground's coming embrace... 

Which didn't come. Instead he suddenly seemed to be suspended by something, some way above the ground.

Ivo timidly opened his eyes and found he was certainly airborne. He wondered how this was possible... before kicking himself internally and remembering just _who_ he had cloned his present body from.

He glanced back behind him to find his tails, as if they were a separate entity to himself, spinning rapidly enough to create the downdraft necessary for flight, and shedding hair as they did so. "I'm flying?" he muttered, trying to ignore the blatant disregard for the laws of physics his magical butt displayed, "Heck yeah! I'm flying!"

"And you're a perfect target!"

"Huh?" Ivo looked back, as doctor Eggman raised a reloaded energy pistol and sighted him again like he were a floating balloon. "Ah, crap-"

The doctor began firing again, trying to shoot him down like a clay pigeon, but whatever instinct had kicked in that had unlocked Ivo's flight capabilities had kicked in good. He dodged away from the shots, trailed by fur moulting from the as of yet unused appendages, clutching the fuel cell tightly and moving as though he'd been flying like this forever.

The terror of being vaporised helped a lot in that regard.

"AAAGH!!!" The human doctor roared, shaking his pistol as it overheated again, "STAY STILL YOU LITTLE PEST!!!"

In the short time he had, Ivo considered his options. His only escape route was currently blocked off by a very angry, very _large_ human, and he didn't have much time until the doctor's energy pistol cooled down.

The twin-tailed fox spat a hair from his mouth before he lowered his head and snarled back. "Eat me, Egg-brain!"

With that, just like he'd been fighting this particular human for years, the fox boosted forward and delivered a wallop to the head with his fuel cell, a blow that knocked the doctor straight back into the sea of spilled nuts and bolts. The human wailed as he slipped and fell, dropping like a felled tree to the solid concrete below.

"YOU-" Robotnik snarled up at the flying fox above him, "YOU LITTLE-"

"I just need to borrow this!" the fox chuntered as he turned to fly out of the now clear doorway, "You'll thank me later!" before he left, 'Tails' offered the fallen human an exasperated little look. "Much later..."

With that, the fox was gone, and Robotnik could only curse into the empty room while yellow hairs floated around him.

"DAMN YOU, TAILS!!! DAMN YOU TO HELL!!!"

"Doctor!"

"Boss!"

Orbot and Cubot finally swooped into the room, showing up just in time to avoid the confrontation in the vehicle bay.

"Oh dear..." Orbot said tentatively, "Are you alright sir?"

"SILENCE!!!" the doctor roared, raising heavily to his feet and shoving past his minions, "Let me see those security tapes! I need to know EXACTLY how that little wretch got in here!!!"

...

_Present day..._

"And that..." Ivo Robotnik the fox grinned smugly as he told his story like a victorious military leader, waxing about his greatest battles, "Is how I went back in time, repaired the Eggmobile, gathered all the parts I needed _and_ learned to fly, all before getting myself back... to the time I came from!"

"Oh, sir!" Orbot said as he poured the fox a glass of Udder Goodness chocolate milk, "That's such an inspirational story!" 

"Are you sure it makes sense though?" Cubot put in, scratching his boxy cranium. 

"Eh, it's time travel..." Ivo shrugged, sipping at his milk. "Just go with it."

"You got it, boss!"

"It _does_ explain how Tails got past our defences..." Orbot mused, "And why he was skulking around inside the lair that night..."

Ivo chuckled. "I know, right? What a happy little time loop. It's all coming back to me now, come to think of it. Man! I pack a mean swing with a blunt object!"

"Wait..." Cubot said thoughtfully, "That wasn't Tails you fought in the vehicle bay! It was _you!_ " The yellow mechanoid spoke as though he'd had an epiphany, before he slumped and rubbed his 'chin'. "But... then that means-"

"Yes, it means you're a _genius..."_ Ivo finished, a heavily unimpressed expression plastered over his face. He set his now empty glass down on the coffee table and hopped from the sofa. "Anyway, this whole experience has reminded me... the Eggmobile bay needs clearing after the installation of her new propulsion systems! You two really need to remind me of all the things I need to remind myself to order you to do."

Orbot and Cubot slumped dejectedly. " _Clear_ it clear it, sir?" Orbot said, "Not just 'sweep up Tails' fur for some experiment' clear it?"

"Exactamundo!" Ivo replied, rubbing his hands together. "Come on! Chop chop! I want that vehicle bay tidied within the hour!"

The two robots sulked as they hovered away, and Ivo sighed happily now he was back in his own time. He scratched irritably at his uniform coat.

"Huh, time for a clip..." he spoke to himself absently, adjusting his jacket for the thick layer of fluff that lay beneath. "Another job for those dolts to... do..."

Ivo frowned as his own simple statement jogged particular memories, memories that had seemingly been buried inside his mixed-up mind. He thought back to that night, when he had unwittingly confronted himself in the Eggmobile bay... and a sudden chill ran down his spine, all the way to the tips of his tails.

"No..." he muttered, "That can't be right..."

Without thinking, Ivo spun up his tails and hovered to his control console, his newly discovered flight abilities clumsier now he wasn't running on adrenalin. He scowled as he tapped through his security files, scanning for the exact date and time of the fight. He found the appropriate file and clicked _play_.

_"TAILS?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY LAIR?!?"_

_"I, uh... need to borrow this?"_

Ivo impatiently watched the fight play out once again, this time in third person as well as from both perspectives in his mind. He watched as he opened fire on himself, almost making his own mark several times before the pistol overheated. Now his fox self was flying, darting around from even more laser fire. He watched until he smacked himself over the head with the fuel cell, and his human self tumbled to the floor. Fox self left. Orbot and Cubot entered the bay. Human self stormed off the check the security logs, where Ivo was sitting right this instant.

Memories pooling back into his brain, Ivo switched perspectives to the control room, watching himself watching the very same footage he had just watched... himself.

 _"What were you doing in there Tails..."_ the doctor murmured, stroking the moustache he would soon lose, _"What were you doing in my lair..."_

Ivo jolted as his human self slammed a fist into the console over and over.

 _"DAMN IT ALL!!! THAT INSOLENT LITTLE CANINE BRAT!!!"_ the human doctor bellowed, causing Orbot and Cubot to cower in terror (something that Ivo couldn't help but feel slightly ashamed of, despite the circumstances). His ears flattened as he observed his own tantrum through the monitor. _"AND THAT UNDERHAND TEAM SONIC!!! SENDING IN SPIES TO STEAL MY THINGS?!? OUTRAGEOUS!!! HOW WOULD THEY LIKE IT?! HOW WOULD THEY LIKE IT... IF... I were to..."_

Ivo watched his past self trail off, hunching as a sudden inspiration took hold.

 _"Yes... yes..."_ the human doctor muttered, rubbing his moustache thoughtfully, _"It's... it's perfect..."_

Ivo went cold as he watched himself leave his chair with intent, and scanned through the files until he found the moment he was looking for.

 _"Here you go boss..."_ past Cubot said, handing a bag full of yellow fluff to the doctor while Orbot hovered beside him, _"That's all the shed fur we could find!"_

 _"Doctor, if I might ask..."_ Orbot put in tentatively, _"Is there a reason you wanted us to tidy up his fur before the rest of the mess?"_

 _"I hate animals that shed!"_ the doctor retorted, roughly grabbing the bag from Cubot's hands. _"Besides... I have a plan so delightfully devellish, so wickedly devious, so deceivingly deceptive, that nobody will see it coming until it's far too late!!!"_ the doctor raised the bag of fur beside his face. _"What do you think boys?"_ he offered them the leering, maniacal grin of a genius with an inspired plan he was yet to fully divulge, _"Would yellow suit me?"_

_"I don't understand, sir..."_

_"Of course you don't, you're a half-wit! Now, follow me to the cloning chamber! It's about time I put that baby to good use..."_

Ivo had seen enough. He stopped the log where it was and leaned back in his chair.

"What a happy little time loop..." he chuckled to himself, removing his gloves and slapping them on the console, "What a happy little time loop indeed!"

And then the fox started laughing. He started laughing and he kept laughing, and he didn't stop for a time.


	15. Evil Tails goes Home

Grey. Everything in Metropolis City was grey. The people were grey. The streets were grey. The vehicles in the streets were grey. The buildings were big blocks of grey. Even the sky above was a dour, miserable grey, the climate in this part of the Human Territories not up to much but year-round drizzle. Everywhere you looked just grey, grey, grey, grey, and grey.

The only spot of colour present in the city was a small yellow fox, clad in a short red jacket, and the red and yellow forms of his robot lackeys, presently descending the steps of Metropolis City Station.

"Wow..." Cubot said, looking with awe at the huge buildings that seemed to reach into the clouds, "Human cities are BIG!"

"Humph, they sure are..." a moody Ivo Robotnik the Fox muttered, ears twitching as dribbles of rain pattered from his head. "Ugh... I forgot how awfully drab this place was!"

"It does seem very..." Orbot said lightly, pausing as he considered his words, "Somber..."

"Huh, that's one way to put it..." Ivo replied, grunting as he awkwardly hopped from the final human-sized step. He squeaked in alarm as he landed in a puddle, water soaking his furry yellow legs. "Gah! I showered before we left!" His ears drooped and he palmed his face, closing his eyes with a sigh. "I hate this place..."

"It certainly seems contrary to your character, sir!"

"Of course it does!" The fox, once a human, straightened up and arched his tails, wearing a proud grin. "I'm bold, and charismatic! This place is duller than the inside of a dishwasher..."

Ivo set his thumbs in his belt and looked around, and up, at the passing humans, many of whom gave the mobian and his robots curious and disapproving looks. He inadvertently shrank at the sight of so many humans. He hadn't encountered another human since his 'accident' several months ago, with the exceptions of his 'brother' Morpho, a shapeshifting robot who largely chose to present himself as a blond-haired version of his old human body... and his own past self, during an accidental visit to the past. Being around so many furless giants, towering above him, was... intimidating.

Still, he wouldn't lose face, and Ivo cleared his throat and scowled as he scanned for their lift. "Where the heck is this driver, anyway?" he grumbled, adjusting the short red jacket he'd taken to wearing in place of his full uniform. He sighed as he found himself fruitlessly attempting to see through the crowds of passing humans. "If only I could see over these... freaking beanpoles!"

"Yeah..." Cubot said dryly, "If only there were some way you could gain a higher viewpoint, boss..."

Ivo scowled at his assistant. "Sometimes Cubot, I really wonder if you're as dumb as you make out..."

"Yeah, you and the people in the comments!"

"What?"

"Nothing."

Ivo grumbled beneath his breath and looked up at curious bald faces as they passed. "Well, might as well put these babies to good use!" He glanced over his shoulder and rotated his tails into a spin, feet lifting from the ground. "Come on, boys!"

Using their own limited anti-gravity abilities, Orbot and Cubot followed the fox as he took off into the air, cries of alarm coming from the surrounding humans as they rose above their heads.

Ivo halted his ascension, wobbling clumsily above the pointing crowds, his enhanced fox eyesight scanning for signs of their transportation. He released a triumphant yip as his eyes landed on a man standing before a large limousine, holding a sign upon which was written his name - Ivo Robotnik. Predictably, the man was clad in grey suit and hat. Ivo wouldn't have been surprised if the sign itself were grey, with grey lettering.

"There we are!" the fox chattered happily, turning mid air to regard his companions, "Come on! Let's get out of this drizzle..."

Orbot and Cubot followed their creator as he swooped forth, his flying abilities having improved with practice. The fox hovered breifly above the pavement, spray swishing from his whirling tails and speckling passers-by, before he touched down on the concrete.

The driver looked down his nose at the small wet fox before him. "Can I... help you, little sir?" the human said condescendingly.

Ivo's ears drooped. "Are you serious?" He turned back to regard his assistants. "You DID send through information on my condition, didn't you?"

Orbot and Cubot nodded in unison. "Sure did, boss!"

Ivo sighed as he turned back and craned his neck to look up at the much taller human. "Ivo Robotnik? The fox? Son of Colonel Ivor Robotnik? Ring any bells?"

The man's eyes widened as he considered the small fox. "Oh, I'm... sorry, sir. I was expecting someone a little..." he paused as he searched for appropriate words. "more mature..."

"Oh, I see. I guess you get twin-tailed mobian foxes coming and chatting to you all the time, huh?" Ivo said dryly, "How could you possibly know I was the right one!" He folded his arms with a scowl and tapped his foot irritably. "Now, you gonna let me in or what? Do you have any idea how bad wet canine smells?"

The driver jerked into action and cranked open the door, his passenger scrambling and climbing into the human-proportioned seat, before the robots hovered in behind. The man closed the door and picked up the discarded suitcases, moving around back to throw them into the trunk. Bizarre, he thought, to see the facial mannerisms of a Robotnik plastered over that fluffy yellow and white face.

...

It was a while of driving through packed grey streets filled with grey cars, the rain beginning to come down in droves now, before the limo eventually left the city. Metropolis now began to shrink behind them as they were driven down the motorway, Ivo sinking into the dark red leather seats as he rested his muzzle in his chin, bored.

Orbot and Cubot bickered about nonsense, though Ivo ignored them, idly watching the world go by outside. Steep banks of grass flanking each side of the road, crested with trees. The foliage was dark and muggy - even the green of this place looked like a shade of grey.

Soon the long stretch of motorway was gone, and the limo drove down rural roads that grew quieter and quieter the further away from Metropolis they went. The rain began to ease, and the clouds actually parted to reveal the sun and the blue sky. Yellow fields lit up, as did the green of the trees and grass of the pleasant land.

"Uh, doctor?" Orbot said carefully, the mechanoid only now realising his creator had been silent for the entire journey, "Are you okay? You appear to be quite uncommunicative."

"Yeah boss!" added Cubot, "You've been real quiet, too!"

Instead of snapping and telling them to mind their own business as he once would have done, Ivo Robotnik turned and shrugged, crossing his arms and sinking into the maroon leather. "I'unno..." the fox said moodily, ears drooping and tails hanging limp, "Just never thought I'd be coming back here is all..."

Orbot and Cubot glanced to one another. Their creator had never spoken much of his past before travelling to the Mobian Territories. And his tight-lipped demeanour hadn't softened since receiving the... letter a week ago.

"Do you think your dad'll be happy to see you?" Cubot said, trying to break the silence.

Ivo snorted. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be ecstatic!" he turned and offered a sharp-toothed grin at his assistants. "Did you know he used to hunt foxes when he was in the army?"

Orbot and Cubot gasped.

"Doctor..." Orbot said, clasping his hands over his mouth, "He didn't...?"

"Relax..." Ivo shrugged, "He only ever hunted feral. Still, I'm not sure most humans in these parts see the difference..." Ivo turned back to regard the environment outside the window, and hummed in acknowledgement. "Oh look," he said lightly, "We're here."

Orbot and Cubot leaned up with whirrs of their servos to peer over their creator's shoulders, and saw upon a hill, a grand mansion surrounded by trees looming in the distance.

...

"Wow, boss!" Cubot hovered around before Ivo and Orbot while the driver collected the suitcases, "You really grew up in this place?"

"Sure did..." Ivo grunted, setting his hands on his hips and flicking his tails as he looked up at the huge mansion. "Wonderful place for a growing boy... miles of empty halls, no company save for the servants..." He snorted. "Funny. Seems bigger than I remember it."

"Well, sir..." said Cubot helpfully, "You are presumably a tad shorter than the last time you were here..."

"Oh, you don't say?" Ivo replied in a desert tone, "You sure are the smart one, Orbot!"

There was a cough from above, and the trio turned to find their driver, clutching Ivo's suitcase, waiting patiently for their attention.

"If you care to follow me, little sir..." the man said, looking down his nose at the much shorter fox.

Ivo smirked as he looked at the robots. "Service with a smile, huh?" he deadpanned.

...

They were led into the mansion, and again Ivo was reminded of just how small he was now. Other humans, servants and porters, went about their business, again casting curious and disdainful looks in his direction, and he found he had to almost jog to match the driver's pace. The man wasn't maintaining a pace more suited to Ivo's shorter legs, not considering the needs of a smaller individual. Typical human.

Portraits of Robotnik family members hung from the walls, looking down on Ivo as though their subjects could see him. He idly wondered if his own would one day be up on these walls, and found the idea amusing. An endless row of moustachioed walrus-faced men... and one furry yellow and white mobian. It was an amusing thought.

The stairs proved a chore to climb, being proportioned for human legs, and in the end Ivo elected to use his tails to hover after the driver, garnering more bemused attention from the other humans in the mansion. Finally, more than two hours after departing Metropolis City station, they found themselves before a thick, polished wooden door, the driver clearing his throat as he rapped his knuckles against the wood.

"Yes?" a gruff voice crackled from a speaker beside the door.

"Colonel Robotnik sir..." the driver said, glancing briefly at Ivo. "I have... your son, sir..."

There were long seconds of silence, Ivo glancing between the speaker and the man before they finally received a reply.

"Come."

The driver opened the door and gestured Ivo and his assistants to enter, following as the fox and the mechanoids filed in. Ivo found himself looking around a red-carpeted room, ornaments filling every space, books stacking the shelves. A huge oak desk sat near an expansive window, behind which a green-uniformed, bald-headed individual gazed out of the window, back to his guest.

Ivo's eyes scanned to a nearby wall, where a number of severed animal heads were hung on plaques above an old hunting rifle.

Ivo swallowed. The trophies were feral creatures, not mobians, but it still sent a ripple of primal fear up his spine. Mobians had once been hunted for sport just like their lesser evolved cousins, and while these were all ferals... it wasn't unheard of for mobian trophies to be kept in old families. Fortunately he didn't spot any fox trophies, though he was certain there would be some elsewhere.

"Thank you, Carlson..." the uniformed man said without turning, "You may leave."

The driver, apparently Carlson, gave a short bow and turned to leave the office, closing the door behind him.

Ivo tore his eyes away from the hunting trophies and stood on tiptoes, in the attempt to peek over the huge wooden desk. There was a grumble from the human on the other side, before the man turned. Ivo was met with a fleshy face, framed by a huge muttonchop moustache, and milky blue eyes locked on him from beneath an utterly bald head.

"Ivo." The human grunted, after taking a moment to observe the small fox mobian in his office. "It's been a while."

Ivo offered the man a smirk, baring pointed canines. "Hello, father."

...

Colonel Ivor Robotnik stood tall, the aging human looking over the small mobian fox that had become of his long-estranged son with an unreadable expression. Ivo rocked slightly in place, hands clasped behind his back and tails swishing before eventually the human gestured across the room.

"Take a seat?" the elder Robotnik offered.

Ivo raised his eyebrows. "Sure!"

Ivo followed his father across the office toward a large, round wooden table by the fireplace, upon which were prepared crystalline bottles of liquor. He was surprised to find the man walking at a pace more suited to his own shorter gait.

Ivor Robotnik settled himself at the table and watched as his son regarded his own chair with incredulity. Ivo reached out to a neighbouring seat and grabbed the cushion, plopping it in place before scrambling into the otherwise too-tall chair. Finally, now somewhat head-level with the table, Ivo released a dejected sigh and clasped his hands on the table.

The two males exchanged awkward looks across the table. Ivor reached out and took a bottle of liquor, clearing his throat as he did so.

"Will you take a drink?" the elder Robotnik grunted.

Ivo smiled carnivorously. "No thanks," he replied in the high-pitched voice of an eight-year old fox mobian, "I'm underage."

The human grunted beneath his breath, pouring himself a finger of alcohol. The man knocked his drink back, setting the glass back on the table and dabbing at his moustache.

Again, the table fell into awkward silence, Orbot and Cubot hovering uncertainly nearby.

"So..." Ivo said, "this is nice!"

Ivor locked eyes with his son. "Have you anything to say for yourself, Ivo?"

Ivo shrugged. "Like what?" he replied, "you did read the files I sent you regarding my... condition?"

Muscles visibly twitched in Ivor's face as he shifted in his seat. "I would rather not talk about that." the man said, in a tone that suggested this was not a question.

"Oh, yes, of course..." Ivo said flippantly, "maybe we could discuss the weather, instead. One word - wet."

"I would rather talk..." Ivor said testily, "about why you decided to show yourself one week after your mother's funeral."

Ivo raised his hands defensively. "Hey, not my fault the Bygone Island mail service sucks tail!" Ivor glared at at that expression, "anyway, it's not like you kept me informed of her condition..."

Ivor huffed. "Not that I would have expected you to come," the man grunted, pouring himself another shot of liquor.

"So why did you contact me this time?" Ivo pressed, reaching out to pour himself a glass of water and failing thanks to his shorter arms.

"I was devastated, if you can believe such a thing..." the man replied, "I suppose it was a moment of weakness." The elder Robotnik raised an eyebrow. "And you? Why did you decide to respond? You never did before."

Ivo shrugged. "Things change."

"So I see."

"I thought you didn't want to talk about 'that'?"

Ivor released an irritable sigh through his nose. "I don't." the human replied carefully. "Still, I suppose you're here now... I suppose you intend on staying for the memorial dinner?"

Ivo looked his father point blank in the eyes. "It's a very long way from Bygone Island just to stay for a little chat," he said evenly.

Ivor nodded sagely, clutching his empty glass. "I've had quarters prepared for you. And your..." he gestured to Orbot and Cubot. "Assistants."

"That's very kind of you, father."

Another few moments of awkward silence passed, before Ivor Robotnik rose from his chair.

"Very well..." the human said, turning to regard the smaller fox as Ivo hopped from his own seat, "the gathering is this afternoon at three o clock sharp. I trust you brought something... decent to wear?"

Ivo suppressed a grin, looking down at his simple outfit of boots, jacket, and utility belt. "I'm sure I'll find something."

...

"Wow..." said Cubot, as the trio entered a large ornate bedroom decorated with muted brown and red furniture, "Your dad's kinda stiff, huh?"

"Stiff?" snorted Ivo, removing his jacket and tossing it into a chair that was taller than him, "The man has a stick so far up his butt he spits splinters." The fox removed his boots and socks and set them aside, now barefoot and furred.

"I'm sorry, sir..." Orbot said, offering his counterpart a stern glare, "I suppose this is a difficult time for you, given your mother's passing and all..."

"Difficult?" Ivo chuckled, scrambling onto the too- big bed and swinging his legs and tails to dangle over the side, "difficult? Heck no! The woman was colder than an old trout. I never saw the woman. Just whatever servant of the week was assigned to nurse me."

"Oh," replied Orbot, thinking of something he could say to lift his creator's spirits, "Well... at least your father seems to taken your... transition rather well?"

Ivo huffed. "I'm sure he's just waiting for the perfect moment to rub my muzzle in it..." Ivo said, grimly looking around his room. Much to his relief there were no taxidermized animals in here, though there were a number of nature portraits, creatures in their natural habitats... and a surprising number of foxes at that. He wondered if that was intentional, and what his father's meaning might be if it was.

As he sat contemplating he released a wide, heavy yawn, ears flattening and teeth baring, exhausted from the day's travelling.

"Tired sir?" Orbot enquired, "ready for bed?"

Ivo shook his head, a little too quickly. "No... no Orbot, it's fine... I don't think I'll bother with sleep tonight..."

Orbot crossed his arms. "Bad dreams again, sir?"

Ivo hesitated, but eventually nodded. Whatever instinct had led to his recently discovered ability to fly had also seemingly unlocked... memories. Memories of a life that wasn't his, that had been buried away inside the cloned mind of Miles Prower.

It was unnerving, far more potent than before. And wasn't helping with being back in his own childhood home, which seemed so familiar yet so alien to him at the same time.

"I don't want to talk about it..." he said glumly, staring down at his paw-feet.

"We'll be here, boss!" Cubot piped up, offering him a cheery thumbs-up.

"Yes, we'll be here all night if you need us sir!" Orbot added helpfully.

Ivo allowed a small smile at the sides of his muzzle. "Of course you will..." he said quietly, leaning onto his side and curling into a ball. "Thanks for coming, guys..."

Cubot shrugged. "Not like we had a choice! He ordered us!"

"Be quiet, Cubot..." Orbot replied, "You're ruining the mood!"

...

"I thought..." muttered Ivor, speaking quietly so as only his son could hear, "you would have brought something reasonable to wear..."

Ivo, contrary to his father's green braided military uniform, was clad in only a black suit jacket and boots, in the manner of common mobian males. He shrugged nonchalantly. "This is a nice jacket!"

"You aren't..." Ivor Robotnik briefly glanced around, clutching his brandy, before leaning over to glare at his son, "wearing any trousers."

"Mobian males don't commonly wear pants..." Ivo yawned, having long abandoned the human practice in question.

"You aren't. Mobian."

Ivo looked over to his own body, craning his neck to peek at his twin tails, before looking up to his father with an innocent expression. "I'm not? I guess that miracle hair growth lotion did the trick! Funny side effects however..."

Ivor straightened himself and looked away, eyes sweeping over the room full of guests. "We aren't talking about this."

"Whatever you say, pops."

The father and son stood in the doorway to the mansion's ball room, overlooking the crowd of guests who had come to pay respects to the late mrs Gertrude Robotnik. All were clad in highly expensive black clothing, with very little colour among them. Ivo thought he'd spotted a bit of orange somewhere, but had paid it no mind. Not that he could see over the giants, anyway.

Ivor coughed to get his son's attention, Ivo's ears flicking at the sound. "I'm going to mingle..." the human said, "greet our guests... I have taken the liberty of informing our guests of your... arrival, so mingle yourself if you must..." the man once again directed a stern glare down to his fuzzy yellow son. "And be _civil_."

Ivo smirked. "Don't worry, I'll try not to hump anybody's leg, or pee on the furniture..."

The elder Robotnik scowled before departing to speak to some of his military acquaintances.

Ivo's smirk became a grimace, canines pointing from the sides of his mouth.

"Wow..." Cubot said, descending from a brief hover above the crowd, "real fancy do, huh boss?"

"Yeah..." Ivo replied unenthusiastically, "real fancy..." he raised his snout and sniffed the air. "Come on, let's find some food. I'm hungry."

"Yes sir..." said Orbot, he and his companion filing in beside the fox as he moved into the crowd.

Ivo grumbled to himself as he attempted to worm his way past people knees, the taller humans unaware of his presence until he piped up with the odd 'excuse me' or 'pardon'. And then they would recoil away in disgust, unwilling to have their expensive black clothing covered in yellow fur.

Being around humans again was proving to be far more uncomfortable than Ivo had anticipated. They were just so big, and while mobians were sturdy for their size they could still be injured by the big, clumsy hairless apes. He remembered one such specimen, back at the Emerald Hill zone, patting their knees like he was a pet animal, beckoning him to come to them so they could pet him and give him treats. He'd been starving, and the humiliation had been worth bearing if it meant...

Wait. That wasn't his memory. Ivo strained to think of something else, squeezing past another set of black-trousered legs to reach the buffet table.

"And... I can't reach." He muttered. He was just about eye level with the white tablecloth, able to see the bounty of food prepared and waiting, but unless he could find a chair to stand on, he wasn't retrieving it himself. "Why does everything have to be so _big_?"

"Well, you are only eight sir..." Orbot said, "when you're full grown, you should fit in no trouble!"

"Uh-huh, sure..." an unconvinced Ivo replied.

"You wanna lift, boss?" Cubot offered helpfully, patting the top of his head.

Ivo considered. He couldn't fly himself - his tails would shed fur everywhere, and he didn't need that kind of attention right now - but he was also reluctant to suffer the indignity of being carried.

His stomach released a mighty rumble, catching the attention of nearby guests and making his decision for him.

"Sure, screw it," he said. "But don't drop me this time! Do you have any idea how much it hurts landing on these things?" he jerked a thumb over his shoulder.

Cubot gave his creator a salute. "Can do! Hop on, boss!"

Ivo scrambled onto Cubot's back, and the yellow mechanoid rose from the floor to give his master an aerial view of the feast.

"Woah, steady Cubot!" the fox squeaked, steadying himself on Cubot's back, "Nice! Now, grab a plate and get me some of those fancy sausages, will you..."

Orbot and Cubot did as they were instructed, loading up their creator's plate with whatever delectebles he directed them toward, bringing bewildered and disapproving looks from all around.

"Ah! Now that's what I call dinner!" Ivo said, greedily eyeing the plate of food Orbot handed to him. He rested the plate on Cubot's head and was about to tuck in - when a loud, pompous voice interrupted his snack.

"Ivo? Ivo Robotnik?"

He paused, a prawn halfway to his open mouth... and perked his ears as he recognised the voice.  
"Oh my word, Ivo Robotnik! Is that you?!"

The trio turned to find a tall man with shaking jowls and balding hair, wearing a long black jacket and a mocking grin as he looked down his nose at the small fox, a pair of other men flanking him with similar expressions of cruel fascination.

"Victor..." Ivo flattened his ears and sighed. "Fancy seeing you here..."

The man guffawed, looking him over like he were a circus attraction. "My my Ivo, it's been a long time, hasn't it?" the man said mockingly, "You've certainly... changed!"

Ivo lowered himself from Cubot's shoulders and handed his plate back to Orbot. "Yes. I had an accident." he said with a grimace, glaring daggers at the human.

"Yes, I heard!" 'Victor' replied with amusement. He turned to his two cronies and gestured toward Ivo. "Boys, I would like you to meet my little cousin Ivo!"

Ivo cringed as the other men snickered, wishing he could be just about anywhere else right now.

"Yes, it's been a long time! I remember when you were this big, cousin!" another chorus of stifled laughs at his expense as Victor held his hand horizontally, a head or so above Ivo's height. "He's a scientist or something, isn't that right Ivo?" Victor continued, much to the delight of his friends, "what is it you specialise in, Ivo? Fur-care products?"

Ivo's grimace practically became a baring of teeth. "Robotics..." he muttered, while Orbot and Cubot hovered worriedly.

"left the Human Territories to 'make something of himself', as I remember!" Victor continued to his friends, "you certainly managed that, cousin! I never knew you swung that way! Well, so long as you're comfortable in your own pelt, or whatever it is you little creatures say..."

"Orbot? Cubot?" Ivo mumbled to his assistants, "Let's go someplace else... it stinks over here..."

Ivo's cousin Victor and his friends cackled with laughter as the small fox turned and left, his mechanical assistants trailing behind him.

...

"Sir?" Orbot said worriedly, "are you alright?"

Ivo gloomily stared through his plate, the food untouched, a dark scowl etched over his features. His ears drooped and his tails slumped lifelessly to the floor, splaying over the polished wood.

"Who was that guy?" Cubot said, glancing back in the direction of the gathering. The trio were now near the ballroom entrance, away from the main crowd.

Ivo shrugged. "My cousin, Victor. He's a total jerk. Tormented me to hell and back when I was a kid." His ears flattened as he looked down at his own body. "Well. The first time I was a kid... believe it or not..." he said, turning to regard his robots with sad eyes, "but I wasn't treat very kindly as a child. Fat and awkward and obsessed with machines, as I was."

"I'm sorry sir..." Orbot said, "we never knew you were bullied..."

"It's not that surprising though!" Cubot added, trying to help.

Ivo opened his mouth to retort, but thought better of it. He shook his head and sighed. "I shouldn't have come back here..." he muttered, taking a look around the ridiculously large room, "I should never have-"

The fox declined to finish his statement, ears perking and eyes focusing as though he had spotted danger. Orbot and Cubot exchanged glances, before levitating forward. "Uh... boss?" Cubot said, "you okay there?"

Ivo's only response was to shakily raise a finger, and point into the crowd. "What..." he hissed beneath his breath, eyes bulging from their sockets, "is that?!"

Orbot and Cubot turned to investigate the source of their creator's distress, to find a tall, elegant woman dressed in long flowing black silk - and a furry orange scarf draped over her shoulders. A fox skin, complete with the head and tail.

And not a feral fox skin. Mobian.

Before Orbot and Cubot could react, Ivo had roughly handed Orbot his plate and stormed over to the woman, who casually sipped at a glass of wine.

"Oh dear..." cried Orbot, "sir!"

"What the hell is THIS?!?" Ivo squeaked loudly, causing every human in the immediate vicinity to turn and gawp at the sudden commotion.

The woman in question wore a startled expression, which quickly turned into one of bemused disgust as she set eyes on the angry fox before her. "Oh my..." the woman recoiled, clutching her wine defensively, "what is this?!?"

"Sir, please..." Orbot and Cubot caught up to their creator, who gawped up at the mobian fox fur around the woman's shoulders with horror, eyes bulging and teeth bared, "let's go back to our room, eh?"

"WHAT IS THAT?!" Ivo ignored his assistants and jabbed an accusatory finger at the woman.

"That..." a snooty voice replied, "is a three-century old skin from the southern peninsula..."

Ivo turned to glare at the owner of the voice, a bald, shrivelled man with a monocle and a pathetic attempt at a moustache, wearing a similar green uniform to his father. The man glared down at Ivo with something akin to utter loathing, his lips visibly twitching.

"What are you doing here?" the man continued, glowering at Ivo down the length of his crooked nose, "You strange little creature?"

Ivo's fur bristled with hatred.

"What am I doing here?" he spoke through gritted teeth, "Do you even know who I am?"

"I can't say..." the human shared an amused look with his wife, "Basil Brush?"

The humans shared a tittering laugh, Ivo's fists clenching.

"I..." the fox growled, "Am Ivo Robotnik! Son of colonel Ivor Robotnik? Ring any bells?"

The humans again shared a look, the woman stroking her mobian fox-fur. "what is this creature talking about, dear?" the woman said haughtily, one hand gesturing lightly to the mobian below.

"IVO!"

All eyes turned to find Colonel Ivor Robotnik, hands clasped behind his back, glaring between his son and the two humans. The Colonel wore an apoplectic expression, eyes bulging at the woman's mobian fox-fur.

"What..." Ivo's father said, barely maintaining his composure, "is the problem here?"

"Oh, Colonel..." the man said, idly waving a hand at the small fox who continued to glare at his wife, "this little creature is bothering us..." he chuckled, "he says he's your..." an eyebrow raised above the monocle as he considered the angry fox, "son? ridiculous, I know, but his words, not mine."

Ivor Robotnik glowered at the man. "Yes," he said shortly, "he is. I trust you read the docket I sent you detailing his condition?"

The couple exchanged looks of bewilderment. "I... apologise, Colonel..." the man replied, understanding he was in deep trouble with the elder Robotnik, "the servants must have missed that particular envelope..."

"Yes, they must have..." Ivor Robotnik growled, "otherwise you would have known to attend this service wearing more appropriate attire."

"Yeah!" Ivo, amazed that his father appeared to be defending him, perked up and jabbed an angry finger at the pair, "tell 'em, dad! Tell 'em how totally-"

"Ivo..." the Colonel snarled, his angry attention now focused on his fox son, "don't. Make. A scene."

Ivo's shoulders slumped, along with his ears and tails. "A scene?" he replied quietly, doing his best to ignore the dozens of eyes that were now locked on him, "A SCENE?!" his voice began to rise, his temper beginning to spiral out of control. "ARE YOU KIDDING ME, DAD?! I COME HERE BECAUSE OF FAMILY OBLIGATION, AND ALL THAT HAPPENS IS I'M INSULTED, DEGRADED, AND THESE BASTARDS-" he gestured angrily to the woman with the mobian fox-fur draped around her shoulders, "COME WEARING... WEARING.... THAT!!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW SCREWED UP THIS IS?!?!"

"I say!" the man with the monocle snapped, glaring angrily at the enraged mobian, "I think this has gone far enough!"

"You think?!" Ivo snarled, his tails beginning to spin, "You THINK?! Well, do you wanna know what I think?!?" the fox, faster than the humans were prepared for, snatched his plate of food from Orbot's hands and jumped into the air, "THIS IS WHAT I THINK!!!"

With a single swift motion, Ivo Robotnik the Fox dumped his untouched plate of food over the head of the woman wearing the skin of one of his own.

"IVO ROBOTNIK!!!!"

Before Ivo could touch back down on the floor he was snatched from the air by the scruff, and found himself staring into the beet-red face of his father.

"GO TO YOUR QUARTERS!!!" the human snarled, eyes bulging with rage while veins twitched on his forehead.

Ivo's ears drooped as he stared into his father's angry face, the fox suddenly feeling very small and helpless in the human's grip. "But... but..."

"NOW!!!" the Colonel growled, depositing his son roughly onto the floor.

Ivo couldn't help himself. His eight-year old brain couldn't cope with the building emotion, and tears began to form in his eyes as he stood surrounded by so many judging humans. To his left, Victor and his cronies shook with barely contained laughter.

It was just like back in Emerald Hills, being bullied for his mutation.

"I HATE YOU!!!" the fox snarled, baring his teeth and jabbing an angry digit at his father, before turning and scampering out of the ballroom.

"Oh..." Orbot fussed, he and Cubot hovering uncertainly, "um... excuse us..." the two robots turned and followed their creator, while behind them Colonel Ivor Robotnik close his eyes and sighed.

...

Ivor hesitated, his knuckle an inch from the thick wooden door of his son's quarters. He considered his words again. He had been in combat, been shot at and returned fire, and he didn't even know how to talk to his own son.

Then again, Ivo's condition was... extraordinary, to say the least.

Ultimately he decided to hell with it, and rapped his knuckle against the door.

"Ivo," the man said, placing his hands behind his back, "Ivo. We need to talk."

The seconds ticked by agonisingly slow, before the door creaked open and the human found himself looking into the glowing blue optics of one of his son's curious robotic assistants.

"Oh, uh..." the boxy yellow mechanoid said, "hi, mister Robotnik!"

"Colonel," the human replied gruffly, kicking himself internally for not letting it slide, "I wish to speak with my son."

"Oh, uh, one moment..." the robot turned back into the room, "boss! You're pop's here!"

A small voice muffled in reply, and the robot turned back to the human. "Okay mister Colonel Robotnik! Come on in!"

"Thank you."

The human followed the small machine into the dark room, noting a small bundle curling up on the large bed before him. Ivor glanced around the room, seeing the large number of fox portraits hung on the walls. He wondered if it had been a good or bad decision to place Ivo in this room, and was glad he had hidden the taxidermized foxes from his collection.

The man wandered over to the bed, hands clasped behind his back. "May I sit?"

A pair of eyes, shining in the small light, glowered at him from the dark shape on the bed. "Do what you like..." a small voice replied.

Ivor nodded and slowly set himself down on the bed.

"Do you know..." the human said, staring at his hands, "why I invited you here after so many years?"

"I'unno..." the small, childlike voice replied.

"I was angry, Ivo..." the Colonel continued, "I resented the fact that you left, and weren't there with your mother on her deathbed..." he sighed, and glanced at the small yellow form beside him. "I was a fool. And when she went... I realised that I was the only one of my immediate family left... and I was frightened I'd never see you again."

Ivo had unfurled from his ball, ears perked as he sat cross-legged on the bed. His father had never spoken to him so candidly, and he didn't quite know how to react.

"And when you divulged the information on your... condition," the human continued, "I didn't quite know how to react..." the human looked to his son, whose ears drooped and his head ducked beneath the scrutiny, "I still don't understand why you choose to remain as you do... but I have been a terrible father. And should you allow me, I... wish to try again."

Ivo was aware that his mouth was hanging open, while he fiddled with his tails in disbelief. "You... don't hate me?" he said quietly, "for what I am?"

Ivor gestured to his son to sit closer to him, the small fox shuffling over the bed and flopping his legs and tails over the edge.

"I don't understand..." Ivor replied, "but if this is how things are to be... I will support you, son. If you will let me."

Ivo looked up to his father with big blue eyes... and plunged into his side, sniffling as he wrapped his arms around the man. Ivor flinched, unsure how to respond, but slowly allowed his own arm to settle on the shoulders of the small fox that had become of his son.

"Dad..." Ivo sniffled, "I'm not the same person any more... I... I... haven't been for a long time..."

"It's okay, Ivo..." the human replied, stroking his son's back, "we'll make it work."

"Oh..." Orbot sighed, clasping his hands together in adoration, "Isn't this so sweet, Cubot?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Cubot shrugged, "at least this way we have material to work with in future episodes! Father and son stories, y'know?"

"Please stop breaking the fourth wall, it's becoming rather tiresome."


	16. Evil Tails Christmas Special!

"OOOOWWW! MOMBOT!! MOMBOOOOOOOT!!!"

Mombot Robotnik turned with a start, her mechanical motors whirring, as a short yellow figure clad in an obnoxiously glittering holiday sweater screeched behind her, followed by the harsh clatter of metal on floor. Ivo Robotnik, effectively the maternal mechanoid's fox 'son', hopped in place, clutching his hand and flapping his jaw, a baking tray and the cookies it had previously contained scattered around his feet.

"Oh, dear!" Mombot scooted over and took hold of her son's hand, optical units slanting with concern as she noted the tears welling in his eyes, "What have we done?"

"I burned my fingeeeeeeeer..." Ivo whined, staring glumly at the digit in question, gloveless and swelling red beneath the thin yellow fur. The fox's ears drooped, the mobian pouting and utterly dejected.

"Well..." Mombot said gently, "lets run it under a cold tap... and wear your gloves when taking things out of the oven!"

"Sorry, Mombot..."

Mombot ran Ivo's hand beneath the cold tap as she said, while behind the mother and son a pair of floating robots entered the kitchen. Orbot and Cubot, both wearing comical red floppy hats with white bobbles on the tips, befitting the holiday season.

"Is everything alright?" Orbot said worriedly, "we heard a dreadful racket!"

"Yeah!" Cubot chimed in, "there was a real loud noise too!"

"Oh, Ivo just has a little boo-boo!" Mombot replied, petting her son between the ears, "but we made it all better, isn't that right Ivo?"

"Momboooot!" Ivo scowled and fussed at his messed-up head fur, "I'm not a little kiiiid! I'm nearly nine years old!!"

"Yeah..." muttered Cubot, nudging his silver-red partner in the arm, "and the rest..."

"SHUT UP, CUBOT!" Ivo pumped his fists and glowed red beneath his yellow and white face.

"Do we really have to wear these stupid hats?" Cubot moaned, the affectation in question wobbling with his motion, "I feel so dumb!"

"You _are_ so dumb!" Ivo retorted through grit teeth. He set his hands on his hips and sneered. "Artificial Intelligence? Ha! More like Artificial... Stupid!"

"Real smooth, boss..."

"Boys boys, please!" Mombot fussed, waving a sweeping brush in the air, "stop bickering! This is no way for my boys to behave during the holidays!"

Ivo huffed and folded his arms over his holiday sweater, obscuring the glittery visage of a smiling snowman. "Yeah, well... I want this to be perfect! Do you know the last time I spent the holiday with my father? Literally decades ago!" His ears drooped and he looked toward the floor. "And now that we're on good terms, I... I just don't want anything to go wrong!"

"Oh, come here dear..." Mombot ceased sweeping up the mess, reaching down to gather her son. Ivo squeaked in alarm as he was snatched up in flexible, extendable arms and clutched to an ample artificial bosom. "It's all going to be fine! You're a very clever young man, and have all your family around you to help make a good impression! Right?"

"Yeah..." Ivo grumbled, casting a weary glance around at his mechanical family, "right..."

...

"Sparky! What in blazes is THAT?!?"  
"DOCTOR EGGS!"

Sparky the fox-mechanoid descended from the top of an enormous pine tree erected in the middle of Ivo Robotnik's lab with a whoosh of jet propellant, landing before her mentor with a clank of metal feet. The formerly organic, now artificial fox, originally a unique copy of Miles Prower himself, 'smiled' at Ivo with upside-down LED arches in her visor, smoothing out her red and white dress and gesturing to the top of the tree. "LOOK! IT'S YOU!!!"

Ivo glared, mouth hanging open, as a red-costumed plush fox sat atop the pine tree, a huge idiotic smile plastered over its face. He turned to glower incredulously at his apprentice. 

"I can see that!" he growled, "what in the name of the Ancients is it DOING up there?!?"

"What's up, lil' bro?" Ivo turned to find a humanlike figure, his own Christmas sweater covered with multicoloured blinking lights, approaching. Morpho Robotnik, his shapeshifting doppelganger from another dimension, towered over his 'little brother', a big mischievous grin beneath his blond moustache. "Not a fan of the decorations, Santa Paws?"

"I THINK IT'S SUPER CUTE!" Sparky insisted, hovering into the air and performing a backflip. 

"Oh, it is very precious!" Mombot agreed, tottering behind Ivo and stroking his head. "A precious decoration for a precious little boi!"

"I AM NOT PRECIOUS!!!" Ivo screeched, wrenching himself away from his mombot and clenching his fists, "I AM-"

"Yeah yeah yeah, serious and formidable..." Cubot muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "we get it..."

"You're supposed to be the dumb one!" Ivo squeaked, jabbing an accusatory finger at his minion, "why are you so SNARKY?!?"

"Woah, slow your roll, bro-hole!" Morpho cackled, raising his hands defensively.

"WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL ANYWAY?" From the couch, slouching like a moody teenager with his arms folded, Metal Sonic Mark Two glowered with glowing red LED eyes at his family, ""IT'S JUST A DUMB DECORATION."

"AND IT'S PERFECT AS THE STAR!" Sparky piped up, landing heavily to grab Ivo into a tight hug, "BECAUSE YOU'RE A STAR, DOCTOR EGGS!"

Ivo wriggled from his apprentice's iron grip and flew into the air with his own tails, pointing angrily at the decoration in question. "I don't care!" he snapped, "take it down! Now!"

Sparky released a disappointed _bloop_ and hovered into the air to do as she was told, while the doctor settled lightly back to his feet. "This is my father we're talking about!" he said, spreading his arms to gesture around his lair, "I want him to see my achievements! I want him to think of me as the man that I was! Not..." his arms fell by his sides, ears drooping and tails slacking as he presented the small yellow form of his present body, "not this..."

"Oh, sweetie!" Mombot cooed, "I'm sure if he really wants to make things up with you, he won't mind what you are now!"

"Yeah well..." the doctor shrugged, "I care! I don't want to be seen as nothing more than the product of my own failures...""

Before any of the doctor's robot family could refute him, the lair's evil doorbell chimed and the small fox almost jumped out of his pelt, feet leaving the floor as his tails spun of their own accord.

"AGH! HE'S HERE!!!" Ivo yelped, tugging at his ears as he hovered in the air like a distressed hummingbird, "HE'S HERE!!! WHAT DO I DO?!?"

"Oh, don't fret sweetie!"

Mombot reached out and snatched her 'son' from the air, "it'll be okay! You have all your family here to help you! Just remember to breathe!"

"Yes... yes, breathing..." Ivo panted, looking around like a frightened animal, "the thing you do with your lungs..."

"Would you like Cubot and I to accompany you, sir?" Orbot suggested, raising a finger into the air.

Ivo nodded frantically, hopping from Mombot's arms. "Yes... yes! He knows you two! Good idea!" the fox turned and regarded the rest of his self-built family. "All of you! get in line and wait here! And please... try not to embarrass me?"

"Oh, we'll be on our best behaviour sweetums!" Mombot said with a little wave.

"Nyuh-huh, don't get your fuzzy butt in a twist little buddy!" Morpho chuckled, "we won't show you up!"

"WE LOVE YOU DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky added, led-eyes flickering into 'happy arches'.

"I'm relieved," Ivo deadpanned. "Right, come on you two..." he gestured to Orbot and Cubot and smoothed down his glittery sweater, "let's do this..."

...

Ivo led his minions through the lair's halls, making directly for the reinforced front doors, fussing with his sweater and with his own ample pelt of yellow and white fur that was now sticking out defensively. As much as he'd become used to his new body over the past months, there were some functions still beyond his control. It was funny. Ivo Robotnik the Fox didn't much remember what it was like being Doctor Eggman the human, tall, imposing, and hairless. Quite apart from the small, impossibly floofy mobian he was now.

Sometimes he questioned if he really was the same person the doctor had once been... or if he was simply-

"Uh, doctor?" Ivo jumped as a red hand settled on his shoulder, "are you... going to answer the door?"

The fox looked around in confusion, only now realising he was at the entrance to his lair.

"Of... course I am!" he squeaked, wincing at the high-pitch of his own voice, "I'm just... composing myself, is all!"

"Is composing another word for 'poofing'?" Cubot said dryly earning himself an unamused glower from the increasingly floofier doctor. 

"Another snark from you and you'll be DE-composing!" Ivo said shrilly, a clawed finger pointing accusingly at the yellow bot, "in a landfill!" "Uh... _can_ robots decompose?" "Quiet!" the fox snapped, then sighed and rolled his shoulders, twin tails flicking with apprehension. "Okay, here we go... operation 'impress dad at Christmas dinner' is a go!"

In one swift motion, these days far more used to the physics-defying operations of his spare appendages, Ivo hopped into the air, suspended by his magical butt, and palmed the door controls. The doors grinded open, and the fox touched down just in time to find the doors now fully open, a pair of humans standing in the entryway.

"Father!" Ivo spread his arms and squeaked as he craned his neck to look up at the walrus-moustached human, "How good to see you!"

...

Ivor Robotnik cleared his throat as he looked down to the much smaller form of his formerly human son, the small fox now awkwardly fiddling with the tips of his fluffy tails. The man was still unaccustomed to Ivo's 'condition', and he supposed he always would be.

"Ivo," the human said, almost reaching out to shake his son's hand... before checking the motion and clasping his hands behind his back. Ivo was far too short to reach now without flying, after all. "It's a pleasure." The man gestured to the other human accompanying him, a younger human with a driver's coat and cap. "You remember Carlson? He transported me here from the Human Territories.

"Evening, little sir!" Carlson said, tipping his hat in Ivo's direction.

"Oh, yes..." Ivo said dismissively, "hello, I suppose..." The fox gestured to his own companions, Orbot and Cubot hovering beside him. "And you remember my assistants? Orbot and Cubot?"

"Of course," Ivor grunted, casting a weary look to the two mechanoids. He was unsure how to greet machines, though from what Ivo had told him, his entire surrogate 'family' were artificial. 

"Well..."Ivo rocked back and forth in his sneakers, fiddling with his tails as he wondered what to say next, "well come on in! You must be freezing out here!"

"It's a tropical environment," Ivor said dryly, gesturing to the sun that hung high in the sky above Bygone Island.

"Oh." Ivo replied, fur poofing out even more in his embarrassment, "well... might as well meet the rest of the family, eh?" he recovered, stepping aside and gesturing into the lair. "Come in! Dinner will be ready soon!"

And so Ivor Robotnik shared a glance with Carlson, before striding into the fortress and following his fox son. He had to meet his 'extended family', after all.

...

Oh, Mister Carlson! You're running out of turkey! Please, help yourself to some more!"

"Uh..." Carlson the chauffer leaned awkwardly away as Mombot hovered beside him, casting a glance at his already over-filled plate, "I'm fine thank you, uh... madam..."

"Nonsense!" mombot hefted the massive dish of turkey in response, depositing slabs of meat onto the man's plate, "you must be famished after such a long journey!"

"Uh, thank you madam..."

The Robotniks were now sat around the lair's large dinner table, upon which sat plates of steaming food. Organic dishes had been prepared, alongside the artificial food the mechanoids ate, and were neatly arranged on the table, ready to be consumed by the flesh and blood family members.

"ARE YOU ENJOYING THAT, MISTER EGGS-DAD?" Sparky enquired, leaning over and curiously regarding the senior Robotnik. Ivor recoiled slightly, unable to mask his awkwardness at being surrounded by sentient machines.

"It's... quite agreeable, yes." the man replied, eyeing the artificial fox with trepidation. From what Ivo had told him upon introduction, this one had actually been organic, transferred into an artificial body to keep from dying, which was unnerving. 

"Don't mind Sparky!" Ivo piped up, the small fox sitting in a raised seat to compensate for his height, "She's just curious! Insatiably so!" Ivo's jaws snapped at a turkey leg, hungrily stripping the meat from the bone, gravy plastering over his white muzzle, "'at's why 'he 'akesh a gug' ahihtangt!" he said through a mouthful of food.

"Ivo!" Mombot glowered sternly at the fox, steel hands settling on metal hips, "what have I told you about speaking with your mouth full?" 

Ivo swallowed and flattened his ears. "Mombot..." he whined petulantly, "not in front of my daaad!"

And that was another thing. Ivor couldn't help but be... concerned, with his son's childish temperament. This little fox, smothered by his own self-built 'mother', didn't seem at all like the man that Ivor had wanted his son to be.

"There's no need for apologies," the man said, casting a glance at Sparky. "It's fine."

From across the table, a disturbingly human figure cackled at Ivo's scolding. Morpho, apparently a shapeshifting robot from another dimension, whose chosen form was that of a slightly different version of Ivo's human body. 

"Nyuh-huh! Be a good little fox and listen to Mombot, lil' bro!"

Ivo clenched his fists and pouted at the mechanoid. "Shut up, Steeeve!"

Ivor frowned. "Steve? I thought your name was Morpho."

"Steve Eggman is the name I used when I first arrived in this dimension," Morpho explained, "and this little goober keeps calling me it when I wind him up!"

"I use it when you're being a butt!" Ivo squeaked defensively, flopping back in his chair and folding his arms.

"Now now boys..." Mombot said, gesturing sternly at her 'sons', "let's not fight at the dinner table! I thought I taught you boys some manners?"

"Sorry Mombot..." two voices replied at once.

"UGH..." another of Ivo's creations, Metal Sonic Mark Two, rested his steel face in his hands, elbows on the table, unable to participate in the eating himself without a mouth and instead plugged into a recharging generator along with Sparky, "LAMEST FAMILY DINNER EVER."

"Metal!" Mombot turned on her rotating torso and directed her ire at the metallic blue 'hedgehog', raising a stern finger in his direction, "don't talk that way about your family! We're having a nice dinner with guests, and I expect you all to be polite!"

"BUT I WANTED TO GO HUNTING WITH STICKS," the mechanoid whined, moody teenager mode fully active.

"You wanna do everything with Sticks!" Morpho chuckled, grinning mischievously at his 'brother', "Stick and Me-tal, sitting in a tree..."

"SHUT UP, MORPHO!" Metal said defensively, glaring at Morpho with glowing red optics.

"Guys, please!" it was Ivo's turn to speak up, the little fox standing in his seat to address the bickering robots, "not in front of my daaaaad! We're supposed to be making a good impressiooooon!!!" Ivo sat back down, an awkward grin splitting his gravy-stained muzzle as he looked to his father. "Boys, huh?" he giggled nervously, "what do you do with 'em?"

"Your family is certainly..." Ivor grumbled, searching around for the correct words, "interesting..."

"You bet they are!" Ivo said, his voice raising in pitch with nerves and piercing Ivor's ears, "I guess that's one way to put it!"

"And you say you created them all yourself, little sir?" Carlson spoke up from behind his mountain of turkey and vegetables.

"He certainly did!" Mombot said proudly, ruffling Ivo's head fur as she passed, "my boy is the cleverest little foxy in the whole wide world!"

"Mombot!?" Ivo squeaked in protest, "don't embarrass me!!!"

"Oh, yes..." Orbot spoke up, largely to rescue his creator from Mombot's affection, "the doctor is a genius! Extremely proficient in robotics, and other scientific pursuits!"

"Yes, I noticed..." the senior Robotnik gestured around the lair, "very impressive, Ivo." 

Ivo grinned smugly, grateful to his minion for the life line, "Well..." the fox said smugly, "I AM the most genius mind to ever exist..."

"Yeah!" Cubot put in, "it's a shame all your inventions go wrong, boss!"

Ivor noted his son's temperament immediately sour, the fox glaring daggers at his mechanical assistant.

"Yes..." the man said, "I suppose that does explain your... condition, Ivo..."

Ivo's ears flattened, suddenly aware of his father's scrutiny.

"Oh it's not his fault mister Robotnik!" Mombot said dotingly, "Ivo tries very hard with all his inventions!" 

"It's just that sometimes they don't always work as intended!" Orbot added helpfully.

"Like the time he bombarded himself with gamma radiation, and kept turning into an adorable little creature whenever he got angry!" Cubot said.

"Or when he screwed up an evil scheme so hard, he got himself trapped in the cloned body of one of his arch nemeses!" Orbot agreed.

"Or when he aged himself ten years and and nearly deteriorated, and the only cure was to turn him back into a baby, so he could grow back to his current age!"

"Or when he-"

"OKAY!!!" Ivo shrieked, burning red beneath his gravy-stained facial fur, "he gets the idea!!!"

"Oh, Ivo!" Mombot tottered over, producing a handkerchief from a compartment and dabbing at his muzzle, "your face is a mess, let me clear it up!"

"I'm FINE, Mombot!!!"

Morpho cackled mischievously, and winked at Ivor. "Adorable little goober, ain't he?"

"Shut UP, STEEEEEVE!!!!" Ivo squeaked from his end of the table.

"OH, DON'T GET UPSET DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky cried, before releasing a triumphant bleep and pushing away from the table, "I KNOW! I'LL GO GET THE MIGHTY BRAIN LORD! HE ALWAYS CHEERS YOU UP WHEN YOU'RE SAD!"

"SPARKY!!!"

"Um, excuse me..." Carlson spoke up, frowning with confusion "Mighty Brain Lord?"

"Oh, one of Ivo's favourite toys!" Mombot said before Ivo could respond, the small fox's jaw dropping open. "He has lots of them! It's so adorable when he and Sparky play, oh it warms a mombot's internal power supply so!"

"Toys," Ivor said flatly, "you play with toys?"

"WE WATCH CARTOONS, TOO!" Sparky said happily, "THRUSTER THE BIG RED ROCKET'S OUR FAVOURITE! AND PRETTY PONY PRINCESSES!"

"Stop..." Ivo muttered, his face now buried in his hands.

"Oh, are you alright dear?" Mombot said, concern in her artificially synthesized voice, "do you need snuggles from your old mombot?"

"Please stop..."

"Ooh, how about eskimo kisses?" Morpho chortled, unable to resist tormenting his sibling, "eskimo kisses for mo-mmy!"

"Please stop."

"Oh, Ivo, please let me clean you up, you're covered in gravy..."

"STOPSTOPSTOPSTOPSTOOOOOOPP!!!!"

The entire party froze around the table as Ivo pounded his fists into the table, screwing his eyes shut and screaming at the top of his lungs. The fox's eyes snapped back open and he glared angrily from rapidly teary eyes.

"I don't believe you!" He screeched, voice cracking and going shrill, "you've completely humiliated me in front of my own FATHER!! I HATE YOU!!! I HATE YOU ALL!!!" He glowered around the table, every member of his robot family wincing at the proclamation. Ivo sniffed, his shoulders slumping as the tears intensified. "I hate you..."

With a final glance to his own father, Ivo Robotnik the Fox hopped from his chair, and scurried out of the room.

"Ivo!" Mombot called after her son, reaching out with a steel hand, before allowing her hand to drop and released an artificial sigh. "I'm sorry, mister Robotnik... I suppose we've ruined this party haven't we?"

"Where..." Ivor said after a moments' hesitation, "is he going?"

"He'll come back, sir..." Orbot said, "I think he just needs some time to himself..."

...

"Man..." Sonic the Hedgehog grumbled to himself as he left the Hedgehog Village mail station, a large box clutched in his gloved hands as he wandered across the village square, "talk about last minute delivery! Two days before Christmas? Damn!" He grinned as he inspected the contents of the box - quality mind candies, imported from the human nations of Wassendorf, candy capitol of the world. "Welp, happy holidays Tails! should be enough here to last you the year! Or a couple of weeks, at least..."

The hedgehog whistled a festive tune to himself as he ambled through the village, content to take things slow for a change. He looked around the village, decorations hanging from the wooden shacks and brightly-lit trees scattered about. Bygone Island might have been a tropical climate, but that wasn't holding back any of the settlers' festive spirits.

He ceased his whistling as he wandered the empty streets, and his ears perked. Sonic thought he detected the mild sniffling of a crying child. Not so deserted after all.

The hero searched around for the voice, always happy to help out an upset kid... and his shoulders slumped. Over on one of the benches, curling into his own fluffy twin tails, a small fox mobian in a glittery sweater was blubbing, hands clasped over his eyes.

Sonic shook his head and sighed. Tails, he knew, was presently at home, tinkering in his workshop as usual. "What have you gotten into this time, egg-brain..."

Ivo Robotnik the Fox sniffed, miserably clutching his tails around himself as he sat on the bench. He was angry, he was humiliated, and he was ashamed. He hadn't meant to lose it the way he had with his family, but... didn't they see how much they had embarrassed him? He hadn't even been given the chance to show off his successes to his father, and now the man probably thought him to be nothing but a...

_Pathetic little freak!_

The words rang in his head, memories of being picked on and outcast by the other kids back in Emerald Hills coming unbidden in his brain. _Mutant!_

The memories weren't his, he knew. They were Tails'. The doctor had, over time, regained more and more of Tails' past experiences, and they came to haunt him when he was emotionally compromised. It was sometimes hard to remember who he really was - the former human doctor Eggman, or Miles Tails Prower.

He stared glumly through his own hands, through the padded palms and clawed fingers. _Who am I really?_ He curled his fingers, the claws digging into the pads of his palms, _what am I really?_

"Hey there!"

Ivo was torn from his melancholy and looked to find a blue hedgehog, taller than he and scarfed, a large box at his feet and a lopsided grin on his face. 

"Oh..." Ivo groaned, ears flattening beneath the hedgehog's gaze, "Sonic..."

The hedgehog nodded his head, gesturing to the bench. "Mind if I sit?"

Ivo shrugged and grunted non committedly.

"Great!" Sonic replied, chirpy as ever, "I'll take that as a 'yes, mister Hedgehog!' "

The hedgehog set himself down beside the moody fox, and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and hands clasped. Moments of silence went by before Sonic decided to break the ice.

"So..." he said carefully, casting a wary gaze over his adoptive brother's lookalike, "bad day, huh?"

Ivo glared at his hedgehog nemesis accusingly. "Why do you care?"

Sonic spread his arms and wore his classic lopsided grin. "Hey, I'm a hero remember? I help everyone in need!" The hedgehog leaned back and crossed his legs, appearing now like a therapist regarding a client, "so what's the story? Santa not bring you what you asked for for Christmas?"

"It's two days _before_ Christmas, Sonic!" Ivo pouted, "And I'm not a little kid!"

"Just teasing, little buddy!" Sonic winked, before wearing a more serious expression. "Come on, you gonna tell me what's wrong? Your best frenemy?"

Ivo hesitated, his mouth half-open, before he sniffed and wiped at his tear-stained face. "My... father came for dinner today..."

"Oh," Sonic's ears drooped a little. As far as he knew, Ivo Robotnik the Fox's relationship with his human father was strained, at best. "I'm guessing things went south, huh?"

"He was fine!" Ivo said defensively, shuffling in his seat and glowering at the ground. "It was my stupid family! They totally humiliated me! Telling my dad about my toys, and my cartoons, and my failed experiments, and..." he trailed off, suddenly realising he'd said too much. Ivo sighed, his various additional body parts going slack and drooping with sudden depression. "What happened to me, Sonic?" the fox said quietly, "I used to be... the greatest, most feared genius in the Mobian Territories! I was strong! Formidable! Ambitious! And all that's gone now..." he gestured to himself, blue eyes staring through the ground. "Now look at me... I'm just a silly little fox who watches cartoons and plays with dolls, whose father is ashamed of him..."

Sonic pondered the little fox's admission, trying to remember the man he used to be. It was difficult - Ivo Robotnok the Fox was a very different individual than the barbarous doctor Eggman, who had threatened this island for so long. 

Eventually, he shrugged. "Well if y'ask me, I think it's an improvement!"

Ivo scoffed and glared at the hedgehog. "Really? How so, hedgehog?"

"Well, you ain't tryin'a blow up or enslave the village every week for a start!" Sonic chuckled, "So that's nice! Even if it means Team Sonic's kinda out of a job..."

Robotnik didn't reply, folding his arms and scowling.

"Also, not gonna lie..." Sonic continued, Ivo's ears perking, "you're kinda cool now you've mellowed out! You're like a totally different person!"

Ivo huffed and folded his arms around himself. "That's the thing, Sonic..." he said quietly, turning to fix suddenly frightened blue eyes with Sonic's own, "you see... I don't know what's going on up here..." Ivo raised a clawed finger and tapped his yellow head. "I'm... remembering more from Tails' life as well as my own, and... sometimes I don't know who I am..."

Sonic watched the dejected little fox slump in his seat, unable to help but feel sympathetic toward his former arch-enemy.

"What if..." Robotnik continued, "What if it's all a lie? What if I'm not who I think I am?"

Sonic frowned. "What d'you mean, dude?"

"What if..." Ivo swallowed, his nervousness clear and familiar to Sonic who had spent many a time comforting his own adoptive brother, "what if Ivo Robotnik _died_ in the accident that created me? And I'm nothing but a deluded clone with his and Tails memories? Nothing but a screwed up science project gone wrong..."

Well. That was a pill to swallow. Sonic spent moments pondering the possibility, knowing he wasn't knowledgeable or thoughtful enough to come to any kind of conclusion for the fox.

He shrugged. "I guess that's something you're gonna have to figure out for yourself, little buddy..."

Ivo pouted miserably, while Sonic tried to find something to say. He'd played this tune with Tails many times, and it was frighteningly familiar doing the same with the long-mobianised doctor.

"So," the hedgehog spoke up, "what are you gonna do, little buddy? You gonna sit here till the cowbots come home, or head back and make things up with your fam?"

Ivo sighed heavily and curled into his tails defensively. "I guess... I'm just scared of what my dad's gonna think... he probably thinks I'm the most pathetic little fox to ever live..."

"Well... if things don't work out with your pops..." Sonic said carefully, "you still have the rest of your family, right? And they all still love you? Right?"

Ivo hesitated, before nodding grimly. "I know... I feel so stupid, I shouldn't have gone off at them like that..."

"Well," Sonic replied, "I reckon the best thing you can do is go back and enjoy your party, right? Maybe say sorry to Mombot and the guys? And then, when everything's cool, you can talk to your dad and explain stuff."

Ivo nodded, unfurling from the protective shield erected by his tails. "Okay, I will do... thanks, Sonic. I know that might sound weird coming from me, but... thanks."

Sonic winked. "No problem, little buddy!" The two mobians stood from the bench and faced one another, preparing to go their separate ways. "Welp, I'd better be getting back myself... these mint candies aren't gonna wrap themselves!"

"Okay, thanks Sonic!" a much chirpier Ivo Robotnik replied, grinning shyly at Sonic in a very Tails-esque fashion. "for listening to me..."

"Don't sweat it buddy!" Sonic offered his trademark lopsided grin, accompanied by a thumbs up. "Guess I'll be seeing you around!"

Sonic watched as the small fox turned around and made to leave. He hummed to himself as he bent down to retrieve his crate of mints, and an idea formed in his head. "Yo! Eggs!"

Ivo Robotnik stopped and turned with raised ears, an inquisitive expression plastered over his face along with tear stains and dried gravy. "Huh?"

Sonic removed a glove and slit open the tape holding the packaging together. He dug into the crate, grabbing one of the sweet packets in his hand, and tossing it through the air. The fox caught it, bemused. "What's this for?" 

"For Christmas!" Sonic chortled, offering a casual salute before he hefted the crate back into his arms. "Happy holidays, egg-head!"

Ivo Robotnik the Fox smirked. "Same to you, hedgehog."

...

Ivor Robotnik clasped his hands behind his back and grunted as he surveyed the portraits before him. One displayed the small fox his son had become, clad in a red uniform and sporting a malicious grin - the familiar leer of a Robotnik. The portrait beside this one, however, displayed a human, wearing a similar red uniform, utterly bald and in possession of a glorious moustache. Ivor's son, the human doctor Ivo Robotnik, appearing confident and ambitious.

Ivor sighed. "So... this was him? Before his accident?"

"Yes, sir..." Orbot replied, he and Cubot having guided the human around their creator's fortress at his request while Mombot and Sparky plied Carlson with tea and cake, "he was quite the ambitious mind. A true leader, with a vision!"

"I see," Ivor replied, looking down at the silver-red mechanoid, "and what would that vision be?"

"He wanted to build a theme-park and rip people off!" Cubot replied.

"Yes..." Orbot palmed his face, "quite the... evil scheme..."

Ivor shook his head. "All this time..." he muttered, "all this time my son was out here, trying to prove himself, creating inventions that could change the world, the only human for thousands of miles... and I missed it. I missed it all."

"He never really did speak of home, sir..." Orbot said, "I feel as though it were a point of contention he'd rather not delve into."

Ivor chuckled to himself. "Do you know why he left? Why he finally departed the Human Territories?" Orbot and Cubot shook their heads, prompting the man to continue. "I wanted him to join the military. Like every generation of Robotnik men before him. I insisted that if he didn't join, become an officer, he'd bring shame on the family and I would disown him. He left that very day." 

The human sighed and looked sadly at the man his son had been. "So many wasted years, all for my own stupid pride... when his mother was sick, I was so angry at him for not being there... it was only when she died that I realised, I needed my son back in my life. I don't think I'll ever make it up to him, the way I was when he was a child, and time I missed as an adult..." 

"If it's any consolation sir..." Orbot said, "he _is_ going to grow up all over again, perhaps you can get to know who he is now, and not chase after the man he used to be?"

Ivor Robotnik grunted, then raised his head as Mombot's synthesised voice perked up from the other room.

_"Oh, Ivo! You're back! Where did you get to, we were so worried about you!"_

_"Sorry Mombot I didn't mean what I said I love you..."_

Ivor sighed at the sound of his son's new, tear-filled voice, and imagined the small form of his reconstituted son being smothered by the mechanical 'mother' he'd constructed himself.

"Perhaps you're right..." the man said, looking back to the portraits, this time looking the shorter figure squarely in the eyes, "I might not be able to change the past, but perhaps we both get a second chance?"

_"Come along Ivo, your father's been worried about you too..."_

_"O... okay, Mombot..."_

Ivor Robotnik cleared his throat and smoothed off the dark green uniform jacket he'd worn to the dinner. "Well, boys..." he said, as though addressing his old platoon, "I suppose I have a job to do... I have to spend Christmas with my son!"

Orbot and Cubot watched the tall man stride across the room, making his way to make amends with his son.

"Oh..." Orbot cooed, "isn't this precious, Cubot? A true Christmas miracle!"

"Yeah..." Cubot said, before looking up to the doorframe above them. "Oh... oh crud..."

"What? What's the m-" Orbot followed his companion's gaze... to find the two robots were levitating, right beneath the misletoe.

Orbot and Cubot looked at one another. Cubot was the first to break the awkward silence.

"Oh, for the LOVE OF-"


	17. Return to the City of the Twin-Tails part one

_"Happy birth-day to you... happy birth-day to you! Happy birth-day dear I-vo... happy birth-day to you!"_

Ivo Robotnik the Fox sat, at the wooden bench of the local Meh Burger, face resting in one hand and a ridiculous party hat hanging lopsided from his head. Around him, his robot family sang his birthday song and clapped, while the mobian vulpine himself glowered miserably at a large cake sat in the middle of the table. Other customers in the fast food joint shot disapproving looks to the ruckus, though nobody interfered.

"Three cheers for Ivo!" Mombot announced, clapping her stubby hands together, "hip-hip..."

_"Hooray!"_

"Kill me..." Ivo muttered, staring moodily at his cake.

"Hip-hip..."

_"Hooray!"_

"I want to die."

"Hip-hip..."

_"Hooray!"_

"Oh, congratulations doctor!" Orbot cooed, hovering up to Ivo's side and shaking his hand profusely, "another year older! And you have all your family around you to celebrate, as well!"

"I'm blessed..." Ivo muttered, limply allowing Orbot to pump his hand up and down.

"Yeah!" added Cubot, before scratching his boxy cranium, "uh... how old does that make you again?"

Ivo flushed red beneath his coating of yellow and white fur and scowled. "None of your business, bucket-brain!"

"Oh, now come on sweetikins..." Mombot tottered over and, as she was wont to do, reached out and took Ivo in her extendable arms. The fox squeaked in alarm though declined to struggle, accepting his temporary fate as a fuzzy yellow plushie. Mombot smiled sweetly, never able to get enough of fawning over her 'smol floofy boi'. "Now come on! Blow out your candles!"

"Momboooot..." Ivo whined, looking around at customers as they sniggered at their tables, "you're embarrassing meeeeeeee...."

"Oh, don't be silly fluffybuns!" Mombot leaned him closer to the cake, Ivo leaning away as his fuzz came dangerously close to setting alight, "now, don't forget to make a wish!"

Ivo rolled his eyes, briefly scanning around the table. All his family were indeed there, save for his father Colonel Ivor Robotnik who had business to attend to back in Metropolis. Orbot and Cubot hovered beside him, Sparky and Metal Sonic Mark Two occupied opposite sides of the wooden table, and Morpho the Shapeshifting Robot from Another Dimension grinned mischievously from the other end.

"Go on, lil' bro!" Morpho beamed, that classic Eggman leer beneath his blond moustache, "we're waii-tiing!"

Ivo grimaced before taking a deep breath and blowing out his candles, if only to end the humiliation. It didn't work. As soon as the flames went out, Mombot squeezed him tighter and his family cheered once more, again bringing unwanted attention from surrounding customers.

"Oh, Happy Birthday my floofy little fuzzikins!" Mombot squealed, crushing the small fox in her literal iron grip, "did you make a wish?"

"I wish you'd _stop crushing me!"_ Ivo squeaked, struggling against his mombot's tight embrace. Mombot dropped him back to his feet and stroked at his head fur, beaming down at him proudly. "And humiliating me in public!" Ivo added beneath his breath, adjusting his party hat.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky the cyborg rushed over with a boost of jet propellant and grabbed Ivo in yet another bone-crushing hug, attempting to smooch him on the forehead and instead nutting him with her mouthless chin. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT A BIRTHDAY IS BUT MOMBOT SAYS IT'S REAL IMPORTANT!"

"Yes, _thank you_ , Sparky..." Ivo replied, stars snapping in his vision. 

"Nyuh-huh-huh!" Morpho joined Ivo's company and ruffled his head fur, causing the fox to growl in annoyance as his party hat was again skewed, "happy birthday, little bro!"

"Don't call me little!" Ivo squeaked in protest as Mombot tottered in front of them.

"Oh, everybody gather around!" the maternal mechanoid sang, waving her family into the view of a camera she produced from a chest compartment, "this will make a lovely picture! Come along, Metal!"

"UGH..." Metal Sonic Mark Two, slumped at the table, groaned with a whine of static as he lolled back in his seat like a moody teen. "DO I HAVE TO?"

"Be quiet and do as you're told!"

Metal released an irritated _bloop_ and reluctantly slid from his seat, trudging over to join the rest of his family.

"Say Hypersonic Plasma Sensor Array!"

The Robotniks repeated their Mombot's technobabble, and a flash illuminated the interior of the Meh Burger, capturing the scene to be saved forever.

...

Ivo clutched a soda, sitting miserably at the Meh Burger counter like a bar patron on a lonely night. His family laughed and joked behind him, now mingling with Hedgehog Village citizens, the Robotniks having ceased to be a threat to the town in general over the months since Ivo's 'transformation'. 

He sighed, one hand clutching his soda, the other resting before him. His tails lay slack, though he occasionally twitched them to get some feeling back into the limbs. Ivo Robotnik the Fox, unlike Doctor Eggman, did not like to be still.

"Hey, you can't sit there..." Ivo's ears perked and he looked to find Dave, the eternal intern, regarding him lazily from behind the counter, a sweeping brush going unused in his hand.

"Why not?..." Ivo muttered, ears drooping again, "it's my birthday, after all..."

Dave shrugged, uninterested. "Whatever..."

Ivo returned to staring solemnly at his own yellow forearms, his fur presently bare save for his usual utility belt and boots. He frowned. How long had it been since he'd last worn a full set of clothing? He scrunched his toes, his growing feet aching in the steadily tightening footwear.

For that matter, how long had he been in this body? Months. Close to a full year than not. He flicked his tails again. Funny how things turned out.

"Uh... hey, doc..."

Ivo's ears swivelled and he turned in his chair to find somebody he didn't expect - Tails, standing sheepishly by his chair, fiddling with his gloves.

"You..." Tails continued, looking as though he'd rather curl up in a ball and hide rather than talk to his doppelganger, "mind if we have a chat?"

Ivo stared at him blankly, before turning and checking over his shoulder.

"Oh for... yes, doc, I mean you!" Tails said in exasperation to a very confused Ivo.

"Me?" Ivo replied, shaking his head in bewilderment, "sure?? I guess???"

Tails stood beside Ivo and set his own drink on the counter, and the two identical foxes hung in awkward silence for what felt like an excruciatingly long time. Eventually, Tails coughed and gestured to the chattering party. "Looks like everyone's enjoying themselves..."

Ivo grunted. "At least somebody is..."

Tails raised an eyebrow. "What, not having fun? I thought you liked being the centre of attention!"

"Uh, what's that supposed to mean?" Ivo said, glaring defensively at his double. Tails offered him a smug grin in response.

"Well, y'know... 'look at me, I'm the great and powerful Doctor Eggman! Grrrrrreatest genius mastermind in the worrrrld! Cower before me and tremble beneath my glorrrrrious moustache! Ohohohoho!"

Ivo simply glowered, before looking dejectedly back at his soda. "Yeah, well..." he muttered, fiddling with his exposed claws, "I'm not Doctor Eggman any more, am I?" He continued to stare into his soda, seemingly deep in thought, "and maybe I never was..."

Tails frowned again, sensing a hidden meaning beneath that comment. "Now you have me confused. What is THAT supposed to mean?"

Ivo remained silent, the seconds ticking by, before he eventually offered a non-committed shrug. "Nothing," he mumbled, slumping in his stool before knocking back the remnants of his soda like a shot of liquor. The former human glanced back to Tails with a resigned expression. "So. What do you want, _Miles?_ " He said, using Tails' first name somewhat resentfully, "you hate my guts. The heck are you doing _chatting_ with me, huh?"

Tails raised his hands in a shrug. "Okay, fine. I wanna talk to you about a certain someone..."

"I'll bite. Who?"

Tails folded his arms and lowered his brow, a serious expression over his usually shy and cheery face. "Sparky," he said bluntly.

Ivo blinked incredulously, before glancing over to where his gleaming yellow assistant/sister/whatever the heck she was, spun around as she danced with Sonic, who seemed utterly unsure how to deal with the spunky cyborg. Ivo returned his attention to Tails and frowned. "Okay, well... I don't judge, but I thought you were already going with Zippy?"

Tails appeared bewildered for a moment, before smacking both palms into his face and groaning. "Oh, for the love of... you really DO have eggs for brains, huh?"

"Well what in the name of sweet mobius are you talking about?!" Ivo snapped, appearing as equally exasperated as his double.

"I'm _talking_ about..." Tails said carefully, "where she _came_ from!" The yellow fox glared at his doppelganger pointedly. "That city! Deep in the jungles, filled with copies of me? I... want you and Sparky to take me there."

Ivo stared at his twin, mouth slightly ajar, while Tails waited for an answer. Then he began laughing. He began laughing intentionally, obviously condescendingly, leaning over and banging his fist on the counter. Tails rolled his eyes and looked around at the other party-goers, who offered curious glances to the two foxes. "Are you finished?" Tails said, as Ivo leaned back from the counter and wiped an imaginary tear from his eye.

"Are you insane?!" Ivo retorted, nipping his false laughing fit in the bud, "do you have any idea how close I came to becoming roasted fox meat?!" Ivo leaned close to Tails, a suddenly fearful glimmer in those all-too-familiar blue eyes, "they're insane, Miles! Absolutely freaking nuts! I barely got outta there with my pelt in one piece!"

Tails chewed his lip as he considered the new information, before setting his jaw determinedly. "I have to go," he said bluntly, "I have to know... something."

Ivo shook his head and scrunched his face mockingly. "Not happening, Miles..." he said bluntly, "if you wanna go and put your tails in trouble, that's entirely up to you! _I'm_ keeping mine right here, where it's safe!"

"I don't know the way!" Tails protested, glaring into the other fox's eyes, "and you owe me, egg-head! You _owe_ me, for pulling your fuzzy butt outta the muck over these last months! Don't forget that!"

"DOCTOR EGGS?" Tails' and Ivo's ears twitched and, in unison, they turned to find Sparky the cyborg, meekly stood fiddling with her dress while her glowing blue optics flicked between the pair of them. "IS EVERYTHING OKAY?"

"Oh, Sparky!" Ivo chuckled, reaching out and clapping Tails on the shoulder, "our 'progenitor' here wishes us to return to that blasted city you came from! The one I narrowly escaped being barbecued? Isn't that such a _wonderful_ idea!"

Sparky smacked both hands to her cheeks, her 'eyes' transformed into glowing blue love-hearts, and she released a mechanical squeal of such intensity that every mobian in the vicinity clapped their hands over their ears.

Tails and Ivo, hunched over in sudden torment, exchanged a pained glance when she was done. "Smooth move, _buttnik..."_ Tails muttered.

"Well..." Ivo said, looking at Sparky with a quizzical expression, "that was an... unexpected reaction..."

"OH, DOCTOR EGGS! DOCTOR EGGS!!" Sparky hopped over to the doctor and shook him by the shoulders excitedly, "CAN WE GO WITH MISTER TAILS? CAN WE?? CAN WE???"

"Sparky?!" Ivo attempted to wrench himself from his undefined adoptive family member's assault, swaying as her iron hands fell from his shoulders, "are you serious?! You want to go BACK after they nearly incinerated me?!?"

"IT WAS JUST A MISUNDERSTANDING!" Sparky said happily, placing her hands behind her back and cocking her head sweetly.

"Oh, yes!" Ivo tossed his hands into the air, "just a misunderstanding! Silly me..." the former human leaned back onto the Meh Burger counter and frowned. "Didn't they banish you, Sparky? Why on Mobius would you _want_ to go back there?"

"OH, PLEEEEEASE DOCTOR EGGS?" Sparky's synthesized voice adopted a pleading tone, the cyborg's hands clasped before her and her 'eyes' became downward slants in her black visor, "I'D LOVE TO SEE ALL MY BROTHERS AGAIN! IT'S LIKE MOMBOT ALWAYS SAYS! FORGIVE AND FORGET!"

"Sparky..." Ivo ran a hand over his muzzle, considering how best to burst his plucky apprentice's bubble, "we're not going back! That place was a death trap! We barely got out the first time, and if they get hold of us again... especially _you_ , in this state..." he gestured over Sparky's robotic form, the synthetic fox having formerly been flesh and blood before her organic form had deteriorated. Ivo shook his head. "We don't know what they'll do this time!"

Sparky lowered her head, fiddling with her steel hands. "ARE YOU SAYING THEY WON'T LIKE ME BECAUSE I'M A ROBOT NOW?"

"I'm _saying..._ " Ivo replied, "that it's just too dangerous! For all of us!" he glared at Tails. "I'm sorry Miles, but I'm not going back!"

"WELL..." Sparky piped up, as Tails inhaled to formulate a response, "THEN... I'LL TAKE MISTER TAILS MYSELF! I REMEMBER THE WAY BACK!"

"What?!" Ivo snapped, looking at his apprentice in bewilderment, "are your circuits soldered together properly?! Absolutely not!"

"I'M NOT A LITTLE BOT ANY MORE!" Sparky squealed, eyes becoming downward-slanted as she pumped her metal fists, "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO! AND... AND MISTER TAILS HELPED SAVE ME TOO!" The cyborg grabbed Tails around the shoulders, causing the fox to squeak in alarm, "SO I WANNA HELP HIM BACK!"

Tails smirked, after recovering from his sudden rough treatment at the hands of his artificial doppelganger. "There you have it, _Doctor Eggs!_ he said, a smug grin tweaking his face, "If you won't take me there... then Sparkz will!"

Ivo opened his mouth to protest further, before merely grimacing and shaking his head. "Fine! Go get yourselves both killed! But don't come crying to me when you're being disassembled and burned alive by fruitcake foxes!"

"Fine!" Tails retorted.

"Fine!" Ivo snapped back.

"FINE!" Sparky chimed in.

 _"FINE!!!"_ they all said simultaneously, before Tails nudged Sparky on the elbow and turned to leave. "Come on, Sparky..." the vulpine said, giving Ivo one last glower, "let's go! We have a trip to plan!"

"COMING, MISTER TAILS!" Sparky looked back to Ivo, before sheepishly turning and following the other fox.

Ivo sighed, ears drooping as he looked down to his boots. He looked back into the party, to find that Sparky and Tails had vanished from sight.

"Damn kids..." the fox muttered, lifting up his styrofoam cup of soda... to find it empty. He deflated in exasperation, turning to order another before a familiar voice sang over to him.

"I-vo!" Mombot Robotnik called, "it's time to open your pre-sents!"

Ivo hissed through his teeth, grimly anticipating more public humiliation, before forcing a smile onto his face and turning back to his mechanical mother-figure. "Coming, Mombot!"

...

It was now late. The sun had set over the horizon of the Great Southern Ocean, casting the vast shore of Bygone Island into moonlight. The Robotniks had returned home after the party, settling into their various preferred activities in the old lair. Morpho snored on the couch, party hat resting over his moustachioed face while beside him, a moody Metal Sonic Mark Two tapped away at a gamepad. Orbot and Cubot bickered over a pile of smashed cake, arguing over which of the clumsy mechanoids had dropped it. And Ivo himself sat at his kitchen table, a glass of Udder Goodness Choccy Milk resting before him along with a slice of his birthday cake, while Mombot fussed with one final package.

"Oh, I'm sorry sweetie..." Mombot said as she deposited the wrapped gift ono the table, "I forgot all about this one!"

"It's okay, Mombot..." Ivo drawled, as Mombot clapped her hands together excitedly. He wondered idly what this one would be - what toy or game his childish brain could engage with when he wasn't creating useless inventions... or watching cartoons.

_Stupid. Immature little boy. Why am I like this?_

"Aren't... you going to open it?" Mombot said uncertainly, while Ivo seemingly stared into space. The vulpine's ears perked and he rapidly snapped his attention back to her, almost spilling his chocolate milk in the process.

"S... sorry, Mombot..." he said, recovering as best he could, "I was, uh... daydreaming about, uh... fighting chickens... yeah, I'm gonna go with that."

"Oh... well!" Mombot said, waiting expectantly as Ivo removed his customary mobian gloves and began tearing at the wrapping with his bare claws. Within was a cardboard box, from which he removed the lid to reveal...

A pair of red and white sneakers. Sturdy. Tough. Exactly like Tails'.

"I know children your age don't really care about clothes for presents, so this one must have slipped my circuits!" Mombot said obliviously, "but I know shoes are important for a mobian! And those old boots were becoming too small anyway!"

Ivo stared at the shoes, before putting on his best grateful smile. "They're... great!" he said, with forced enthusiasm, "just perfect..."

Mombot cooed adoringly, and opened her telescopic arms. "Happy Birthday, sweetie!"

Ivo leaned in and hugged her, allowing himself to be treat like a plush once more. "Thanks, Mombot..."

...

Ivo wandered through his old lair, having said goodnight to Mombot and made for bed. He held his choccy milk in one hand, the short claws clutching the glass. He chuckled, as brief memories of human misconception of mobians ran through his mind. Back in the human lands, folk often believed that mobians wore gloves as they didn't possess fingernails. It wasn't the strangest misconception - many humans also believed that mobians didn't have toes, that their feet were weird flipper-things. And that mobians had evolved from fungus. 

Either way, Ivo knew better. Especially these days. Stupid humans.

"Heh..." he muttered, eyes scanning over the too-large confines of a fortress originally constructed for a human-sized occupant - too-wide hallways, with too-tall doors, with too-high panels. A living space built for a giant. "Stupid humans..."

Ivo jumped into a hover to hit the panel to his bedroom door, wondering idly why he hadn't gotten around to altering the door panels yet for his shorter height, before entering the room and taking a swig of his milk. He yipped in alarm as he missed his mouth, a splurt of brown chocolatey goodness going to waste down his front. Ivo grumbled to himself, and looked over to the mirror to inspect the damage.

He went still, faced with his own reflection.

Twin tails. Big blue eyes. Yellow fur, and brand new red and white sneakers.

Ivo... _Robotnik?_ Released a sigh of resignation at the sight of himself. He remembered when this reflection was once a short, overweight human boy with jam-jar spectacles and a mop of ginger hair, trying on the dress uniform his military father made him wear for special occasions. He also remembered his reflection as _a small, raggy cub, proudly checking out his brand new sneakers - white with red stripes - that Sonic had bought him. Miles had wanted some of the exact style as Sonic's but the hedgehog couldn't find any that fit the bill, so they'd made do. It was still the best thing anybody had ever bought him in his whole, short life..._

The fox clutching the empty glass of chocolate milk, with the sticky brown stain down his white chest fur, released a heavy sigh of resignation, his ears drooping at his own reflection and the split memories in his brain.

"Is this... who I am?" he said, moving to the mirror and leaning his free hand on the glass. He looked into his own eyes, searching for any trace of Doctor Ivo 'Eggman' Robotnik. 

He couldn't tell. It was as though the human had never existed. This was all he was now, a lacklustre copy of Miles Prower.

"Sticks was right..." he muttered, looking away from the mirror and rubbing irritably at the sticky brown patch where his tragically spilt milk had stained his fur, "I really am just a cheap knock-off..."

Just like the copies back in the city. Just like Sparky.

"Ugh, Sparky..." Ivo groaned, leaning his back against his massive bed, "Tails... what are you doing? Nuts, the pair of you..."

Ivo Robotnik, or whoever he was, stared vacantly at his own reflection from the end of his bed, Tails' words running through his head - _you owe me._

With a final exasperated hiss and a glance at the small yellow fox he had become, he deposited his empty glass and made to leave the lair. He didn't much like it... but he had a job to do.


	18. Return to the City of the Twin Tails part two

"No... NO! DON'T TOUCH TH-"

 _BLARP. BLARP. BLARP._

Ivo smacked his hands over his ears and released a primal vulpine squeal, lurching away from the yellow monoplane in Tails' hangar and dropping his tools as he did so. Nearby, his double darted through the air and into the cockpit, smacking at buttons and cutting the screaming alarm.

Ivo blinked rapidly, still gripping his ears as the sound vanished. "What..." he yelped, looking up to the plane's owner and manufacturer, "was THAT?!"

Tails merely glared at his doppelganger from the cockpit. "I TOLD you not to touch that!" he hissed, clambering from his seat and hopping lightly back to the dirt ground of his workshop/hanger. The twin-tailed fox wiped grease from his brow, and glowered at the similarly grimy form of Ivo Robotnik. "Jeez..." Tails grumbled, checking his utility harness for his tools, "why did I agree to let you help prepare the Tornado again?"

Ivo set his hands on his hips and smirked, a single upper canine jutting out. "because I'm a very clever boy," he snarked, before raising a hand and pointing a single finger into the air demonstrably, "I AM," he continued, "something of an inventor myself, you know!"

Tails felt a little stab of unease at his mirror, casting a brief look over Ivo's bare-furred form and the brand new red and white sneakers he'd turned up in the previous night, before lowering his goggles and returning to his own work. "Man..." he muttered, selecting a wrench and ducking beneath the Tornado's hull, "if I hadn't been in the middle of a refit, we'd be freaking done in five minutes, I swear..."

Ivo shrugged. "We could take the Eggmobile?" he suggested, earning himself a look of disgust from Tails.

"Seriously? That ridiculous hunk o' junk? I'd rather walk..."

"That baby is an antique!" Ivo protested, "classic Robotnik tech!"

"Like I said - hunk o' junk."

"Ugh... some people have no taste..." Ivo folded his arms and scowled at the squat yellow plane that was Tails' pride and joy. "What are you calling a hunk of junk, anyway? This thing is operating on technology over a hundred years old! Seriously, propellers? What's next, a mast and sails?"

"Hey, she may not look like much..." Tails poked his head out and smirked from beneath the plane, "but she's got it where it counts!"

"MISTER TAILS! DOCTOR EGGS! I GOT THE FOOD READY!"

Both foxes turned to find their companion, Sparky, boosting into the workshop with a pair of large coolboxes in hand, and an extra pair clutched in each whiplike tail. She smacked into the dirt with a thump of metallic feet, the blue lights representing her eyes flickering into rainbow-shaped 'happy' arches. She raised the coolboxes triumphantly. "I'VE MADE SANDWICHES, AND COOKIES, AND PIES, AND SANDWICHES, AND LEMONADE, AND SANDWICHES, AND-"

"Yes, we get it Sparky..." Ivo muttered, irritably scrubbing at a streak of grime in his fur. He offered the cyborg a grateful smirk. "Thanks."

"YOU'RE WELCOME, MISTER TAILS!"

Both foxes, clad in goggles and sneakers and covered in grime, offered one another an uncomfortable glance while Sparky's optics snapped between the pair. The leftmost drooped his ears and slacked his tails with a sigh. "Guess again, Sparkz..."

"UH... SORRY, DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky replied, cheerfully hovering over to the plane to deposit the boxes in the Tornado's cargo space, "YOU BOYS REALLY LOOK ALIKE!"

"Yeah..." Tails muttered, returning to his pre-flight tinkering beneath the Tornado, "we noticed..."

Ivo shook his head and returned his attention to his own work, leaning into the open engine compartment of the Tornado and being far more careful this time. "You still haven't told me..." he grunted, ignoring the grease that smeared into his fur, "why you wanna go there in the first place?"

"It's-" donk "OW!" Ivo sniggered as the hull vibrated with the impact of a dense mobian skull, "it's private!"

"Hey, if I'm gonna be risking my pelt, the most you can do is tell me why!"

The sound of shoes scuffing over dirt reached his ears, and Ivo glanced over his shoulder to find Tails glowering pointedly into his eyes.

"I said," Tails spoke clearly and pointedly, a stony expression over his normally cheery face, "it's private."

Ivo held his eyes for a moment, before shrugging and blindly continuing his work. "Fine," he said flippantly, reaching in and fumbling around inside the Tornado's engine compartment, "suit yourself, _Fails!_ "

"What are you doing, didn't I just say not to touch th-"

_BLARP BLARP BLARP._

...

It was time to depart. The Tornado had been fully prepped, fuelled up and flight checked, and now sat proudly at the top of Tails' short dirt runway, ready to take to the skies. The three foxes, ready to set off on their adventure, were greeted by several friends and family before they left. Sonic and Amy were there, as were Mombot, Orbot, and Cubot, all ready to see the vulpines off.

"Now, what did we talk about Ivo?" Mombot fussed at her fox-son's head fur, neatly rearranging the thick bangs, "make sure to keep your fur clean, brush your teeth, get plenty of sleep, eat responsibly so you don't run out..."

"Mombooot!" Ivo squirmed in the mechanoid's grip, adjusting his goggles and adjusting his utility harness, "stop smothering meeeee!"

"Oh, do be careful sir!" Orbot said worriedly, optics slanting in concern as he echoed Mombot's maternal tone, "and do remember to call home if you need anything?"

"YES, Orbot, jeez!" Ivo rolled his eyes melodramatically and pouted, "man, I bet Tails doesn't have to put up with this..."

"And don't forget to give your feet some air!" Amy scolded, hands on hips as Tails checked his rucksack contents, "you'll get blisters!"

"YES, Amy!" the twin-tailed vulpine groaned, turning and grimacing at the pink hedgehog, "I'm not a little kid! Jeez!"

"Hey!" Amy snapped, "I am a responsible adult, and you will listen to me!"

"You're twelve, Amy!" Tails groaned, "I'd hardly consider that a responsible adult!"

"Listen to Auntie Amy, Tails!" Sonic chuckled, offering his best friend and adoptive brother a wink.

Tails' jaw dropped open in outrage, but before he could utter a response Amy turned her head mechanically and offered the blue hedgehog an utterly menacing glare. "What was that, Sonic?" She said, sweetly and coldly.

Sonic's eyes widened in terror and he coughed repeatedly. "Uh... I said... your quills look really nice today! Man, how do you maintain that shape?"

"It's called grooming, Sonic..." Amy said dryly, "you might want to try it sometime..."

"Oh, isn't this precious?" Mombot cooed, wiping an imaginary tear from her eye as Tails joined Ivo with readying the plane, "both our boys going off on an adventure together..."

"Yeah..." Amy replied, "let's hope they make it back home in one piece..."

"Relax, Ames..." Sonic waved a dismissive hand, "they're big boys! They can handle whatever it is they're up to!"

Amy raised an eyebrow, "they're still going off on their own, Sonic..."

Sonic's lopsided grin faded a little, and he cleared his throat. "Yeah... I guess I am a little worried..." The hedgehog drooped his ears and sighed, before trotting over to the Tornado and patting the nearest fox on the arm. "Look, buddy..." he said, adopting his best 'serious big brother' tone and posture, "I know you're tough, and... you know what you're doing... but you're my lil' bro, y'know? And I..." Sonic ran an awkward hand over his spines and grinned shyly. "Look, I'm gonna worry about you, okay? Come back safe, Tails."

The fox locked eyes with the hedgehog... then lowered his head and sighed. "I know..." Sonic said, reaching out and patting a yellow shoulder, "it's an emotional moment... you going off on a big adventure, something you guys have to do alone..."

"Sonic?" the fox said lightly, looking back up into the hedgehog's emerald green eyes, "am... am I... really that much like HIM?"

Sonic frowned, before his suspicion raised. "Uh... Eggs?"

The fox shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. Does it even matter any more?"

"Hey!" another yellow and white furry face popped up from atop the Tornado, frowning down at the others, "we ready? Where's Sparkz?"

"COMING!"

All watched as Sparky flew from within the hanger, performing an excited flip before settling down in the dirt beside Mombot. The cyborg had discarded her usual red dress and was now clad in one of Tails' old leather bomber jackets, and a matching goggled helmet. She adopted a happy posture before her eyes flickered into arches. "MOMBOT! LOOK AT MY JACKET! TAILS LET ME HAVE IT FOR OUR ADVENTURE!"

"Oh sweetie!" Mombot clasped her hands and beamed at the feminine cyborg, "it's perfect for you!" Mombot raised a stern finger. "Now, you take care of Ivo and Doctor Tails! They're organic, so they're far more delicate and will need your protection!"

Sparky stiffened her back and performed a salute. "AYE AYE, MOMBOT!"

"Well, I suppose that's our cue..." the fox before Sonic said, "Sparky! Come on! We're going!" he looked back to Sonic and wore an uncertain smirk. "See you in a day or so, hedgehog."

Sonic hesitated, still unsure exactly who he was talking to, and then nodded. "See you soon, fox-boy!"

The foxes boarded their ready and waiting aircraft. One of the pair, presumably Tails, hopped into the cockpit while the other took the rear seat. Bother lowered their goggles, comically in unison, before the pilot offered a thumbs up.

"We'll be back before you know it!" the fox called from the pilot's seat, earning himself a set of waves from his fellows.

"Be safe, you two!" called Amy, as the plane began to taxi down the runway.

"We love you!" Mombot sang, the plane now picking up speed.

"Don't forget to change your socks once a day!" Orbot cried, as Sparky boosted into formation beside the Tornado.

"Oh..." Mombot whimpered as the plane left the runway, flying into the air and disappearing over the trees. "Our boys..."

"I know..." Orbot said, wiping a tear from his optic, "this is so emotional!"

"Oh, it's okay guys!" Amy said, opening her arms and embracing the pair in a comforting hug, "they'll be okay!"

"Man..." Sonic muttered, rolling his eyes and nudging Cubot, "girls, huh?"

"Hey now!" Cubot said, "what's with the misogynistic attitude? You should know better, being the franchise hero and all!"

Sonic raised an eyebrow. "What was that?"

"Nothing"

...

The plane journey shaved off a good chunk of travel time, Miles and Ivo occupying the Tornado while Sparky flanked them like a wingman. From above, Bygone Island stretched for kilometres around, a sea of lush green forests from which massive mountains of chequered brown rock stretched into the clouds. It may have been called an island, but Bygone was a veritable continent of mysterious and unexplored wilderness, within which might be found treasures of the Ancient races who had inhabited these lands long ago.

Some hours into their flight however, Ivo had insisted they put down. "Why?!" Miles had shouted over the roar of the Tornado's engines. "Just do it!" Ivo had cried back, offering his double a pointed glare from behind opaque red goggles.

And so, the Tornado had swooped to the ground, finding a suitable clearing and entering her VTOL mode, gently hovering to a landing in lush emerald grass on her underslung thrusters.

"So..." Tails said, removing his goggles as Ivo hopped from the Tornado's passenger compartment, "are we close or what? I didn't see anything from the air."

"Close?" Ivo chuckled, clutching a rucksack and offering a condescending glance up to his counterpart, "heck no! Another good few hours' trek from here, I reckon."

Tails' mouth flapped open. "Then why the heck are we landing now?!" he cried, sweeping a frustrated hand around the area.

"Because..." Ivo said, "like I've told you, Miles, these guys weren't too friendly last time we met! By which I mean 'burn you at the stake' type unfriendly!" He gestured toward the slowly cooling down Tornado and raised an eyebrow. "Do you want to get shot down? I heard you have a knack for that..."

"Point taken..." Tails muttered, bristling at the accusation against his piloting skill, "so what? we hoof it from here?"

" 'Fraid so..." Ivo replied, ears flattening as a familiar golden figure hovered down on thrusts of jet exhaust beside him. "You okay, Sparky?"

Sparky raised her own goggles and offered Ivo a thumbs-up. "A-OK, DOCTOR EGGS! THAT WAS FUN!"

"Hope you didn't burn my jacket..." Tails muttered as he hopped from the cockpit, rucksack in hand.

"YOU SAID I COULD HAVE IT!" Sparky protested, her glowing blue eyes morphing into downward slants.

"I agreed to let you borrow it for the trip!" Tails snapped, slipping into his backpack, "I don't want you destroying it five minutes into the expedition!"

"YES, WELL..." Sparky set her hands on hips and wore a smug posture, "I THINK IT SUITS ME BETTER ANYWAY!"

Ivo, watching the exchange with amusement, snorted at Sparky's teasing attitude. The cyborg turned to face him, one hand gesturing at the jacket she wore. "WHAT DO YOU THINK, DOCTOR EGGS?"

Ivo shook his head and grinned. "You look great, Sparkz!" he said, savouring the look of irritation barely contained on Tails' face.

"Look..." the other fox sighed with exasperation, "can we quit the fashion show and just get going? Please?!"

Ivo smirked, looking back to Sparky and gesturing into the jungle with a bow. "Ladies first!" he said, with an exaggerated accent.

Sparky's eyes flickered into upside down arches and she performed a mock curtsey. "THANK YOU, KIND SIR!"

Tails simply watched, an incredulous expression plastered over his face, as Sparky began to head off into the trees, Ivo pausing to grin at him.

"What's the matter, Miles?" Ivo smirked, "I thought I was supposed to be the grouchy one?"

Tails shook his head and followed after his doubles. "Maybe this was a bad idea after all..."

...

The trio journeyed through the thick jungles of inner Bygone Island, Ivo and Tails following Sparky's lead, for what felt like hours. From the scant light allowed through the canopy, it was still daylight, though a faint orange glow could be detected through the trees.

And while Sparky herself could keep moving as long as her power supply was running, her organic brethren were not so hardy.

"Spar... ky..." Ivo gasped, fur sticking out at amazing angles, suffering in the humidity of the jungle, "can... we take... a breather?"

"BUT MISTER TAILS!" Sparky said, turning with the whirr of mechanical motors and cocking her head quizzically, "WE'VE ONLY BEEN WALKING FOR TWO HOURS FORTY SEVEN MINUTES AND FIFTEEN SECONDS!"

"Wrong fox, Sparkz..." Tails muttered, coming to a sweaty stop beside Ivo.

"OH, SORRY MISTER TAILS! ADJUSTING!"

"What's the matter, Doctor Eggs?" Tails grinned, looking over his panting double with amusement, "out of puff?"

"I just... need..." Ivo wheezed, hands on his knees and tails slumping to the ground, "a few minutes!"

"Whatever you say, tubby..."

Ivo glared at Tails, ears raising at the insult. "I... weigh exactly as much as you! Probably."

"Whatever..." Tails removed his rucksack and retrieved a water bottle from a side pocket, "you know, I could use a rest too... we okay to take five, Sparkz?"

Sparky's eyes rolled inside her visor and she released an irritated _bloop._ "OKAY..."

The trio found placed to sit around a small clear space they came to find, Sparky reducing her power consumption and cycling her temperature conditioning systems while Ivo and Miles dug around in their backpacks for food and water.

"Ugh..." Ivo muttered, glancing around the jungle, "I hate places like this... so humid! I'm sweating my tails off!"

Miles raised an eyebrow at the doctor's expression, producing a bag of mint candies from his bag. "Now you know why males don't always wear clothes," he said evenly, grabbing a handful of his sweaty fur and smirking, "especially when you're covered in this!"

"Yes, I noticed..." Ivo muttered, before tipping back his own water bottle, "I _have_ been around for almost eight months, you know!"

Tails frowned at his comrade's phrasing, before shrugging his matted shoulders and opening his bag of mints with a snap. He reached in and grabbed a handful, tossing the fresh and succulent sweets into his mouth, jaw working as he crunched the candies into pulp.

"So, Egg'sh..." Tails smirked through a mouthful of smushed mint, "how ol' doe'sh ye'shterday make y-" he stopped before he finished his sentence, finding his counterpart now staring at him, ears perked and eyes wide, like a wild animal spotting its prey. He swallowed, and frowned. "Uh... something bothering you, doc?"

Ivo remained unresponsive for a moment, before shaking himself from his stupor and clearing his throat. "Oh, uh, no! Nothing, nothing... just..." his eyes flicked back down and he seemed to phase out again. "Just thinking..."

Tails pondered, bewildered for a moment, before he realised what had transfixed the other fox - the bag of mints in his hand. He chuckled, and held he bag out. "Want some?"

Ivo's eyes widened in surprise. "You sure?"

"Yeah, go for it. I have loads back home."

Ivo licked his lips, before shooting his hand into the bag and retrieving a larger portion than Miles had expected. He scarfed the mints down like a starving man, jaws snapping as he devoured the treats.

Tails raised an eyebrow at the display. "Since when did you like mints this much?" he said, the answer already calculated in his head.

Ivo paused in his consumption of the candies, and after a moment's hesitation offered a shy shrug. "I... suppose I've developed something of a taste for them," he replied, fiddling with the remaining handful.

Tails hummed. "I guess you have my taste buds to thank for that, huh?" he said dryly.

Ivo reciprocated with a meek smile, though Miles thought he detected a trace of sadness in the expression. "Yeah..." the former doctor said, rolling a candy between his fingers, "I guess..." the fox's ears perked a little and he popped the mint into his mouth, looking back to Miles with those familiar blue eyes. "So," he said, the brief trace of melancholy seemingly evaporating, "ready to tell me what this whole trip's really about?"

Miles opened his mouth, before quickly snapping it shut and glowering at Robotnik. "Who asked you to be so nosy?"

Ivo shrugged. "I'll take that as a no..." he said, finishing off the rest of his mints before hopping back to his feet. He wiped his hands off on the matted fur of his thighs and gestured into the jungle. "Right, I need to go visit the little fox's room..." he said with forced cheeriness, "I'll be five minutes. Don't go abandoning me?"

"DON'T WORRY, DOCTOR EGGS!" Sparky piped up, having spent the last few minutes performing a brief systems diagnostic, "YOU GO PERFORM YOUR COOLANT DISPENSATION! WE'LL STAY RIGHT HERE!"

Ivo wore an utterly unamused expression. "Thank you, Sparky..." with that, Tails' mirror image turned and entered the jungle, searching for somewhere to 'dispense his coolant'.

Miles sighed, watching as the yellow figure vanished into the jungle in search of privacy. He looked into his bag of mints and decided he wasn't hungry. He scrunched the bag up and replaced it into his rucksack.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER, MISTER TAILS?" Sparky said, observing the yellow fox before her as he stared uncertainly into his pack, "YOU DON'T LOOK VERY HAPPY!"

Tails glanced up at Sparky, a brief flash of irritation stabbing at his chest... but it vanished as quickly as it came as he settled his eyes on the curious cyborg. Sparky was simply curious. He couldn't be mad at her.

"It's nothing," he replied, securing his pack and stretching out his lower limbs, "just thinking..."

Sparky cocked her head, and her eyes briefly flickered. "That's what the doctor says," she replied, in a much less excited and far smoother synthesized voice, "when he has something on his mind..."

Tails looked into Sparky's glowing eyes, detecting the intelligence and curiosity that lay just beneath the loud and excitable exterior that Sparky usually displayed. He huffed and shrugged his shoulders, sweating beneath his fur. "I don't wanna talk about it..."

"But it'll probably help?" Sparky replied, glowing eyes locked unblinklingly on his matted yellow form, "talking with the doctor usually helps when he's troubled."

 _'Well I'm not the doctor, am I?'_ Tails almost snapped... but he bit his tongue, and again looked into Sparky's visor, at the glowing blue optics that had replaced her eyes. He considered. Given her origin... Sparky might understand. He let out a deep breath and shook his head. "Maybe you're right, Sparkz.." he admitted, before offering his mechanical companion a pointed look. "But this is between us, right? Not a word to Robotn- to Eggs."

Sparky quickly traced a pinched finger and thumb across the featureless mask of her lower face. "My lips are sealed!" She replied, before shrugging her steel shoulders, "figuratively speaking..."

...

Ivo hummed to himself, as he made his way back through the thick jungle, keeping his nose and ears perked to guide his way back. He hopped over a fallen tree, easily jumping to the top despite being shorter than it by almost half, and craned his head back to peer up at the canopy above. Faint orange light could be seen beyond, betraying the time of day. Ivo stuck his thumbs in his utility belt and looked around at his surroundings. Not bad. He had recovered from his earlier fatigue and was now ready to move again, and he was finding that he quite enjoyed being out in the wilderness like this. It reminded him of home. Of Emerald Hi-

Ivo grunted as he hopped from his vantage point on the fallen tree, brand new sneakers crunching through the undergrowth. He remembered doing the same once, years ago, though back then he'd been holding hands with a taller blue hedgehog... new sneakers, new brother. New life.

Ivo didn't even try to squash the memories this time. No point.

"Stupid... Tails..." he muttered, kicking at a clump of grass as he trudged through the jungle, "he judges me... puts me down... he has no idea what it's like, no idea at all..."

"Maybe you're right, Sparkz... but this is between you and me, right? Not a word to Eggs...

Ivo paused, becoming utterly still. His ears perked, listening intently as Sparky replied.

"My lips are sealed! Figuratively speaking..."

Like a predator on the hunt, Ivo slunk low and crept through the brush, ears remaining poised and ready to spy on the conversation. He felt a mild twist of guilt at listening in on his companions like this... but not enough to back out when they continued.

...

"Sparky..." Tails went on, awkwardly fiddling with his hands as he tried to find the words, "you... know what you are, right?"

Sparky cocked her head with the slight buzz of mechanics, glowing eyes locking on his. "Yes. I am a formerly organic intelligence translated into artificial, harboured inside an advanced synthetic construct." she lowered her visor, and Tails figured she might have smirked had she had the features to do so. "You should know, silly! You and Ivo did the work!"

"That's... not what I mean, Sparkz..." Tails sighed, running a hand down his face. "I mean... you know what you were originally? Before we transferred your mind into your new body?"

Sparky appeared to calculate, before folding her arms and nodding. "A clone. A duplicate descendant from multiple generations of mobian fox Miles Prower. Unique, yet still a copy."

Tails nodded, looking down to his red and white sneakers. "That's right," he said, inspecting his shoes. "When we first met you... Eggs said that your people all came from two of my copies who escaped... is that right?"

Sparky nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! The Elders. They founded the great city, and created machines that birthed all following generations of twin-tails!" Sparky's eyes morphed into 'happy arches', the cyborg seemingly proud of her knowledge. "The Doctor told me what he had learned during his time in the city!"

"That's great," Tails said dryly, "but... here's the thing, Sparky..." the organic fox looked right into the synthetic's black visor, searching for an answer. "If two copies escaped that day... went off into the jungle and founded your civilisation... then what does that make me?"

Sparky didn't answer, simply remaining still and offering Tails her rapt attention as he stared at his hands.

"What am I, Sparky?" Tails said quietly, appearing for all the world like a lost and uncertain child, "Am I really the original Tails? Or am I just... an incomplete copy? Like... all the others, just another clone..."

Sparky remained silent, processing, while Tails slumped on the rock he had chosen as a seat and rubbed his face in his hands. "I understand," the synthetic replied, bringing a twitch from Miles' ears, "you think you can get your answers from the Elders?"

Tails shrugged. "Who else?" he replied, "my own tests have proven nothing... I need to know, Sparky... I need to know so I'm... not living a lie," he said, a strong hint of melancholy in his voice as he looked back to the ground.

Sparky pondered for some moments, before engaging her vocal synthesizer again. "Why don't you want Ivo to know about your concerns?"

Tails grimaced. "I dunno... probably because he'd just... laugh at me, or something." The vulpine raised a pointed eyebrow. "You didn't know him, Sparkz. Didn't know him when he was Eggman. It's hard to let that go, y'know?"

Both foxes, organic and cybernetic, jerked as a rustling noise emanated from the trees, followed by a pained cry of 'Ow! My leg!', cutting their private conversation short.

"Sounds like the doc's on his way back..." Tails muttered, appearing less than ecstatic about the prospect.

"Yes," replied Sparky, "it does."

Tails looked over the synthetic, and offered her a sheepish grin. "Thanks, Sparkz..." he said, as the sound of a lost soul struggling through the undergrowth, "you're a good listener. You know that?"

With that, the pair broke off their conversation as, from the undergrowth, a frazzled-looking Ivo Robotnik returned from his mission, noisily stumbling from the trees with arms and tails working to balance him. He staggered as he hopped back into their small clearing, huffing as Sparky jumped to her feet and greeted him with a cheery wave.

"HI, DOCTOR EGGS!" the cyborg chirruped, offering Ivo her usual 'happy eyes', "DID YOU HAVE A GOOD WASTE DISPOSAL CYCLE?"

"What? Oh..." Ivo gave a dismissive wave of the hand. "Uh, yes. Thank you Sparky." The other fox looked over to Tails and grinned, tucking his thumbs into his utility belt. "Well, I think we've sat around long enough! Come on, you two! Chop chop!"

Sparky released an excited _bloop_ and boosted into the air above Ivo, crunching down into the dirt and gesturing to her companions. "COME ON BOYS! FOLLOW ME!"

Tails frowned as he adjusted his rucksack, looking over the identical fox before him who suddenly appeared much chirpier than usual. "What, you excited to get there now? I thought you didn't even want to be here!"

Ivo shrugged. "The sooner this is over with, the sooner I can be back home catching up on Thruster the Big Red Rocket! Now come on!" The former doctor smirked and turned to follow Sparky, twin tails swaying with the motion, "time's a'wasting!"

Tails shook his head, before trotting after his comrades, feeling strangely misplaced as he watched his mirror image do the same ahead of him.

...

The trio continued on their way, struggling through the thickening jungle. The organic foxes' fur became drenched and matted with sweat, and even Sparky had to rest to allow her temperature conditioning systems to dump excess heat. The small beams of sunlight breaking through the canopy betrayed an orange sky, suggesting the day had grown long indeed.

Tails wiped at his face with the back of a forearm, the hand now bare having abandoned his gloves. He knocked back his canteen of water, making sure to save some for later, and glowered at Ivo as he returned the cap. "How much longer are we going to be?" he grumbled, "I thought you knew the way?"

"I know the way!" Ivo, laying down in the undergrowth, looked up and lazily waved a datapad, "I entered the route into this! But the stupid piece of junk isn't working!" The former human flopped his head back down, all six limbs splayed like an upturned insect as he baked in the heat. "Why did I bother coming on this trip..." he groaned, his earlier cheer having seemingly evaporated in the heat.

Tails ignored his whining double and looked over to Sparky. "Sparkz! You having any more luck getting us out of this hell hole?"

Sparky didn't reply immediately, rather appearing deep in thought as she stared into the jungle. The cyborg didn't move a millimetre, for all the world looking like a golden statue left behind by an ancient civilisation.

Tails frowned. "Uh... Sparky? You okay over there?"

Sparky mechanically swivelled to face him, glowing blue eyes locking on his. Tails felt a brief shudder running up his spine as the life seemed to vanish from his synthetic companion, Sparky regarding him coldly and motionlessly.

"Unsure," Sparky said, in a flat artificial tone completely unsuited to the normally hyperactive android.

Ivo shuffled around onto an elbow and regarded his friend, ears perking and an expression of concern falling across his face. "What's the matter, Sparky? Are you sure you're alright?"

Sparky cocked her head, optics staring into nothing. "There appears to be a... disturbance, in the local area. It is affecting my navigation systems. I am unable to calculate a route back to the city." The synthetic look back up to her companions. "Doctor. Permission to scout out the area?"

Ivo and Tails glanced to one another before looking back to Sparky. "O.. kay..." Ivo said carefully, beginning to pick himself up from the ground, "you want us to come with or...?"

Sparky shook her head. "Negative. Further progress may be dangerous to your organic construction. I'll go alone."

"Okay..." Ivo replied, ears and tails drooping with concern for his friend as she turned away, "stay on the comms, okay? Let us know what you find?"

Sparky paused in her tracks and partially looked over one shoulder. "I'll be back," she said bluntly, before trekking into the undergrowth.

Tails and Ivo merely watched their friend vanish on her mission, before Tails hummed and gestured after her. "Well," he said looking back to his doppelganger, "that was... interesting..."

Ivo frowned and opened up his datapad. "She does have combat subroutines... something's definitely spooked her..." Ivo scrolled through his pad with a bare finger, the soft callous of he digit's pawpad swiping the screen, before he shook his head. "Still nothing. Piece of crap." Ivo looked to Tails, one curious ear flopping to the side. "How about you?"

"Way ahead of you..." Tails muttered, having already retrieved his own handheld computer from his pack. He patted it in frustration. "Yeah, I'm having trouble here too..." the fox raised his goggled head and scanned the trees with suddenly alert blue eyes, "something's out there..." He arched an eyebrow as he glanced at Ivo. "Your friends from the city maybe?"

Ivo shrugged. "Maybe... they were capable of reverse-engineering Ancients tech to an impressive degree..." Ivo scowled and glowered at Tails accusingly. "I told you! It was a stupid idea coming out here!"

Tails scoffed. "Oh yeah? Well last I looked you didn't intend on coming anyway! What the heck changed your mind?"

"Well somebody had to make sure Sparky didn't get hurt in this... fox-brained scheme of yours!" Ivo retorted, "what's your plan, huh? Do you even have one?"

Tails looked away, brow furrowing as he stuffed his datapad back into its pouch. "I'm... working on that..."

It was Ivo's turn to huff, as he unwittingly mirrored his 'twin' in stowing away his portable computer. "Make it up at the last minute, huh? I swear, you're getting just like Sonic..."

Tails' attention snapped right back to Ivo as he glared at him like a predator. "And what..." he said through grit teeth, "would you know about that, Robotnik?"

"I can't believe this..." Ivo continued, seemingly ignoring Tails' inquiry, "I'm gonna get myself killed, all because you're having your own personal existential crisis! Well, welcome to the club, dude!"

Tails' mouth flapped open, teeth exposed as he glared at Ivo with outrage. "You listened to our conversation?!"

"Uh, these work?" Ivo said condescendingly, pointing at his large, triangular ears, "and we're in the middle of the freaking jungle! How could I not hear the only conversation in the middle of buttfart nowhere?!"

"That was private!" Tails clenched his fists and stared Ivo down, again glaring at the identical yellow fox before him. "Why did I ever trust you, huh?" Tails growled, looking over the red and white sneakers that were a match for his own, "same old Eggman, huh? Always conniving and sneaking around?"

Ivo went still, fur bristling as he turned to face his mirror. "Don't call me that."

"What's the plan, egg-brain?" Tails went on, "you gonna get rid of me out here, in the middle of nowhere? Go back and replace me like you tried to do before?!"

Ivo remained still. "Shut up."

"Maybe you're right," Tails continued, undeterred, tails slashing angrily from side to side, "maybe I am getting too much like Sonic... too trusting... can't believe I really thought you'd changed, Eggman..."

"SHUT UP!" Ivo shrieked, voice cracking as his arms pinned by his sides and he ducked forward, jaw snapping, "SHUT UP, TAILS! I'M NOT EGGMAN! I'M NOT-"

Before the confrontation could go any further or Ivo's words could sink in, a horrific mechanical screech crackled across their comm-links, causing both foxes to smack their hands to their sensitive ears. The sound cut out, and Ivo and Tails looked to one another fearfully.

"Sparky?"

"Sparky!"

...

The two vulpines charged through the jungle, stumbling through the undergrowth, the trees too thick for them to adopt their flight capabilities. Their anger at one another having subsided in the wake of concern for their friend, Ivo and Miles kept all senses alert for any sign of their synthetic companion.

It wasn't long before their attention was drawn by something that likely should not have been happening in the middle of the jungle.

"Look!" Ivo thrust a finger forward, as before them flashing purple light flickered through the trees, "what's that?"

"Just keep going!" Tails huffed, his misgivings for the other fox forgotten for now, more concerned with saving a friend's life. Just like Sonic, he charged ahead, scrambling through the thick vegetation, closer and closer to the purple light... before stumbling through a final bush, and slamming into the ground.

"Woah!" Tails scrambled back to his feet, sneakers digging into the undergrowth Ivo grabbing his arm and pulling him away from the source of the disturbance. "What the heck is that?!"

Before them, in the centre of a clearing scattered with Ancients ruins, stood Sparky. The cyborg reared back in a silent scream, arms thrust behind her, wreathed in flashing purple lightning. The light snapped and popped, crackling bolts of purple-white electricity lashing all around, the source of the phenomenon unclear.

"What IS that?!" Tails repeated, lowering his goggles to shield his eyes from the light.

"Sparky!" Ivo called out, stumbling toward the disturbance, "Sparky! get out of there!"

"The hell are you doing?!" Tails cried, staggering after his counterpart, "don't touch her!"

"She's my friend!" Ivo snapped back, "I'm getting her out of th-"

"IVO..."

Both foxes turned back as Sparky's voice cut through the chaos, watching fearfully as her head swivelled to face them. Her visor was alight, completely purple, and she regarded them blankly as they stood locked in position.

"MILES..." Sparky droned on, sounding completely unlike herself, "IVO..."

"Miles?" Ivo muttered, eyes growing wide in sudden alarm, "I can't move..."

"Yeah..." Tails replied, trying to stop his voice from shaking, "neither can I..."

"SEE YOU SOON..." Sparky said, amplified voice ringing their ears as the light became brighter, "BROTHERS..."

Sparky vanished into the wall of light, purple-white electricity snapping all about, steadily approaching the two immobile foxes.

"Oh no..." Ivo gasped, "Oh jeez..."

"Try and move!" Tails cried, grabbing Ivo's shoulders and attempting to wrestle them out from their invisible prison, "don't let it touch you!"

It was no use. It was like they were trapped in cement, their feet planted to the ground.

"I told you!" Ivo whimpered, ducking his head away from the harsh bright light, "I told you this was about idea! Now we're gonna DIE!"

"We don't know that yet, just shut up and brace!"

"I don't wanna die.."

"Shut up!"

"I don't wanna die!"

"I said shut- AGH!"

Miles and Ivo reflexively clung to one another as the crackling light enveloped them, both foxes vanishing into the phenomenon... and then, with the crackle of electricity, the expanding orb that took them collapsed back in on itself. Bolts of electricity filled the air as the disturbance vanished into the ether, leaving behind an unmolested jungle... and three missing foxes.

Nothing remained now of Ivo, Tails... or Sparky.


	19. Return to the City of the Twin Tails part three

_Notes - I'm sorry this chapter has taken a while coming! You can thank irl bs and real bad writer's block for that... now this isn't the last chapter of the series - we're not there yet! - but this series is coming to a close... thanks for being patient and sticking with it while I get my crap together, please enjoy this penultimate chapter of Evil Tails!_

...

Ivo and Miles clung to one another as the light engulfed them... and all reality went out the window.

No sight. No sound. No feeling, no sensation, other than that... of being broken down piece by piece, becoming nothing more than shimmering life force, scattered and floating... before being rebuilt, one particle at a time, reconstructed around the energy that made his being.

The process took nothing more than a second, from Miles squeezing his eyes closed, his shoes leaving the dirt ground of the jungle. Miles spent that second with no feet, no body, no anything, before his feet returned along with the rest of his corporeal form and the light vanished.

Miles kept his eyes shut tight, clinging reflexively to the body of his double, before registering hard metal underfoot. His lids slid open, and he blinked stars, light-headed from the phenomenon.

"I don't wanna die... I don't wanna die..." a whimpering came from beside him, and he flinched as a triangular ear flickered in his face. A very distressed Ivo Robotnik the Fox gripped his fur tight, head ducked into the floof of his chest. "I don't wanna die..."

"Hey... hey!" Miles shook his doppelganger, Ivo's ears perking as his eyes blinked in shock and opened wide, scanning their sudden environment. "Snap out of it!"

"What..." Ivo gasped, pupils like pinpricks, "the heck was that?!"

"I dunno!" Miles shoved the other fox away from him, the image of a leering moustachioed face keen and unbidden in his mind, "the last time I felt something like that was when I created my transportation device..." Tails glanced around, still light-headed, finding that the pair were in a dark room filled with statues, stood upon a gleaming white circle. He looked back to Ivo, who continued to rub at his eyes from the harsh light of the circle. "Wait..." said Miles, suddenly alarmed, "where's Sparky..."

Ivo didn't respond, merely blinking hard and gaping out from the circular pad, into the room beyond.

"Hey!" Miles snapped, becoming irritated at the former doctor's inability to focus, "concentrate! We need to-"

Before Miles could finish, the lights snapped on, blinding the two discombobulated foxes once again. Miles rubbed fresh stars from his eyes, and looked up just in time... to find a tall, silver-armoured mobian figure regarding him imposingly, face hidden behind a T-shaped visor.

He cast an alarmed glance around the room. What he had thought were statues... were not statues at all. Rather, rows of tall figures in chunky mechanical silver armour, helms fashioned to contain triangular ears and muzzles... and segmented sections of armour that betrayed tails.

Each 'knight', possessing two armour-sheathed tails.

Miles and Ivo remained still, bewildered, as the lead 'knight' raised their hands to the collar of their armour, helmet hissing as the catches were released...

And both young vulpines flapped their jaws as he removed his helm, revealing a starkly familiar face.

Brown-tipped, streaks of grey in yellow and white fur, blue eyes gazing upon them in apparent wonder - the face of an adult Miles Prower.

"Greetings," the man said, in a strangely proper accent, "Progenitors!"

...

Miles and Ivo merely stared at the larger, armour-clad fox as he tucked his helmet beneath one arm, and looked upon them expectantly.

Ivo raised a finger and pointed, an utterly incredulous expression over his own yellow and white face. "Miles?" he said carefully, "what was in those mints we ate earlier?"

"I am glad to greet you, Progenitors!" the tall armoured fox said, beaming at the shorter mobians, "my name is Puddus, of the Legiones Vulpinus! It is my greatest honour, to welcome you to our home!" The fox turned and raised a gauntleted fist into the air. "Brothers! The Old Ones have come to us!"

"GLORIUS PROGENITORUS!" The company of armoured mobians, twin-tailed and clutching long spearlike weapons, bellowed in unison, turning and slamming booted feet into the steel floor of the illuminated chamber.

'Puddus' returned his attention to Miles and Ivo, and gestured toward a door at the far end of the room, through the column of armoured warriors. "Please, Great Ones!" he said, seeming utterly delighted, "come with me!"

Miles and Ivo exchanged bemused shrugs, and hopped from the platform to trail after their large companion.

The warrior introduced to them as Puddus led them with powerful strides, an honour guard of other masked warriors in formation behind them as Miles and Ivo followed their unexpected host out of the chamber, and into wide hallways... occupied by many more familiar faces.

The two foxes cast stunned looks about, as around them twin-tailed clones of all ages mingled, performing unknown duties. Many were young and clad in robes, fur shaven and pale flesh glistening beneath the lights of the silver halls. Others were fluffier, equipped with what looked like engineer's overalls, adjusting utility harnesses and tapping at datapads. There were more knights, tall and imposing in their gleaming powered armour, moving with powerful intent or remaining motionless and masked at their posts.

All looked upon the dirty, frazzled newcomers with wonder and awe as they passed, as though they were deities blessing them with their presence.

Miles and Ivo gaped around, before Ivo cleared his throat and trotted toward the much taller armoured form of 'Puddus'. "Hey!" The smaller vulpine said, tripping as he moved to catch up with the warrior's stride, "Hey you! Puddles! You owe us an explanation!"

The tall fox maintained his stride, armour-encased tails swaying with the motion, and looked back down to the dirty mobians trailing him. "Fear not, Progenitor! I was told you would have questions!" The tall fox looked upon them with utter delight, as though this were the greatest duty he could hope for, "all will be answered in time!"

"Hey! He's right!" Tails piped up, jogging to Puddus' other side and glaring up in bewilderment, "what about our friend?! There were three of us!"

"What did you do with Sparky?!" Ivo squeaked, suddenly fearful of their synthetic comrade's fate, "where is she?!"

Puddus simply smiled. "All in due time, Great Ones!"

The two smaller foxes exchanged wary glances, and fell behind to speak among one another as they followed their unexpected host.

"So..." Tails said, murmuring through the side of his mouth, "these are them, huh?"

Ivo shook his head, eyes wide and alert as he looked about the silver halls, occupied by twin-tailed duplicated of him and his comrade. "No way," he said dryly, "those guys were one step up from cave-mobians... without the brains. This is something else..."

"Yeah..." Tails agreed, as a gaggle of robed foxes cast astonished looks in their direction, "but what?"

They continued to follow their escort, trailing behind Puddus through the halls of wherever they were. Not a word was exchanged between the pair as they found themselves being led up shining steps, flanked by dozens more of the silver-armoured knights, toward a pair of great arched doors. The doors hissed open silently, and Puddus led them into a brightly lit hall.

A sense of trepidation fell over both foxes as they moved through the hall, the walls lined with yet more knights, toward a trio of hooded figures arranged on thrones at the far end.

When they reached the triumvirate, Puddus and his warriors came to a halt, and the armoured fox took a knee before them.

"Elders... Empress... the Old Ones have come..."

...

Miles and Ivo shared a brief glance before, as one, the hooded figures before them rose from their thrones. The middle figure was significantly taller than the other two, clad in an ornate red robe... but the mystery of this individual evaporated as they raised their hands, and made to open their garment.

The two foxes simultaneously flapped their jaws as the robes were removed... revealing a tall, gleaming golden figure. Her frame was slender, endowed with curved female features, taller even than a human and fitted with segmented twin tails. Blue eyes, glowing softly, peered down at them from an artificial, fully featured vulpine face, long cables trailing behind in lieu of hair.

"No way..." Tails said quietly, his own eyes locked in an identical pose as his 'twin' beside him.

Ivo himself struggled to believe what he was looking at. Who he was looking at. And his breath caught in his throat as he fought to find words and break from his sudden paralysis.

"S... Sparky?!"

The tall vulpinroid before him smiled warmly, synthetic face contorting as its owner looked down to the much shorter foxes. "Hello, brothers..." the Empress said, synthetic voice like warm honey, "it's been a very long time..."

"Okay, what is going on here?" Ivo said, raising his hands in the air as if gesturing for calm while Tails simply stared,  
"Miles, are you absolutely sure there was nothing in those candies you gave me?"

"What?!" Tails glared at Ivo and flapped his mouth open, gesturing widely, "don't you dare blame me for this, egg-brain!"

"Hey! Don't call me-"

The Empress... Sparky... chuckled, handing her deep red robe to a twin-tail servant before settling her hands behind her back. Her long, segmented tails flicked, as fluidly as though they were made of flesh and blood. "Oh, my brothers..." Sparky said, warmly glowing eyes regarding the two foxes curiously from her angular, artificial face, "you're just the way you were, so long ago..."

"What do you mean?" Tails snapped, raising a palm toward Ivo to shut him up, "how did we get here?! And are... are you really Sparky?"

The tall, gleaming golden vulpinroid before them nodded her head and smiled. "I am..." she said, genuine affection shining from the curves in her face, "though I have not gone by that name for a very long time, I am the one you both once knew... as Sparky."

Miles and Ivo simply looked, bemused, as the tall and shining synthetic moved with mechanical grace, feet clacking against the smooth floor as she walked slowly around them.

"But..." Ivo stammered, unable to comprehend what was happening, "but... we saw you..."

"Back in the jungle!" Tails added, "you were... struck by some kind of... some kind of-"

"Yes, I remember..." Sparky said, regarding the smaller foxes with amusement, "that was a very long time ago, Miles... and it was all part of the plan. After all... my systems made the perfect beacon for our temporal transporter..."

Ivo raised his fists to his temples and took a breath, resetting his wits. "It was you... wasn't it?" he said, raising his head to look at the cybernetic vixen as he put the pieces together, "you brought us here... didn't you?"

Sparky nodded, maintaining that warm and welcoming smile. "Yes! Our temporal distortion technology was able to reach far back to your time... we intercepted you, and myself, exactly when and where we were always supposed to." The two foxes watched as Sparky gracefully coasted around them, gesturing to Puddus to stand. The armoured vulpine did as instructed, clutching his helmet beneath an arm as he came to attention. "You see, brothers... this, all this..." Sparky cast an arm around the silver hall, the warriors who stood guard, and smiled. "All of us, all of our people... were created by you. Both of you."

Sparky smiled as the pair remained silent, staring up a her in pure bewilderment. "Perhaps my aides can explain further..." she said, directing their attention to the pair of robed twin-tails stood behind, heir faces obscured. Miles and Ivo watched as the two taller mobians reached up to remove their hoods, revealing grey-furred, ancient faces.

"Greetings..." the first face said, "I am the First Elder... I bear the gene-seed of Miles 'Tails' Prower..."

"And I am the Second Elder," his fellow added, the pair a mirror image of one another, "I bear the gene-seed... of Ivo Robotnik the Fox!"

"No way..." Miles breathed after a long pause, "no way..."

"Sparky..." Ivo said, eyes flicking between the two grey foxes before him, "are... are they-"

"Oh no, don't worry..." Sparky said, a small titter escaping her artificial throat, "they aren't you... not exactly..."

"You were told," the First Elder said, directing his attention to Ivo, "when you first came to our ancient city..."

"That two copies, of Miles Prower..." the Second joined in, smiling at Miles himself, "travelled far across Bygone Island to found our race..."

"That was not true!" the First said, the two exchanging a brief nod of approval. "We believed it to be so, but in truth... it was merely false information, planted in our minds."

"We are artificial beings ourselves," the Second said, "organic, yet created for a purpose. Created... by you, Old Ones!"

Ivo shook his head and looked away. "This is nuts..." the vulpine hissed, more to himself than any present company, "this is completely bonkers..."

"So... there never were any leftover copies of me?" Tails said quietly, blue eyes looking curiously about at the Elders and their Empress towering before him, "no... loose ends?"

"No, Miles..." Sparky said warmly, "there never were. You have been whole, this entire time."

"Well, that's great!" Ivo groaned, turning back around and spreading his arms with indignation, but why all this? Why bring us into the future? Why not just send these guys back yourself?" he gestured hopelessly to the two grey foxes, who remained unfazed by his outburst, "why do you need US at all?!"

Sparky cocked her head and smiled patiently. "Because it's already happened, Ivo! This is the way things were supposed to be... you and Miles, both of you, working together to create wonders... the way it was always meant."

The pair exchanged incredulous glances.

"Us?!"

"Are you kidding?!"

"We hate each other!"

"That's right!"

Sparky raised her hands as though gesturing for peace, synthetic face morphing into an amused smile. "Believe it or not, but it's true..." she chuckled, "the two of you are meant for great things..." the tall vulpinroid clasped her hands together and sighed. "I have missed you. both of you."

Again, all Ivo and Tails could do was swap bewildered glances. "What do you mean?" Tails said, ears perking as he turned back to regard the Empress with concern, "what... happens to us?"

Sparky shook her head. "I cannot say Miles... all I can give to you is what you need to complete your task. Then you will be brought back to your time, and all shall be complete. This little 'time loop'... can be put behind us all."

Tails flapped his jaw, looking to his twin for support... but all Ivo had to offer was a sigh of resignation. He shook his head and looked up to his golden 'sister'.

"What do you need us to do, Sparky?"

...

"This is crazy..." Miles muttered, busily working away at a computer console, "this is absolutely bonkers... huh, Eggs?"

"Hnn..." Ivo grunted, himself tapping at a portable data pad... while he observed two rapidly developing figures, suspended in a pair of tubular vats filled with luminescent green liquid.

The Elders. First and Second, soon to be born... while Ivo and Miles prepared the 'programming' that would go into their heads. The Elders would believe themselves to be copies of Miles Prower, they would go on to found their city and their people, and it would all lead to this.

Just as it was supposed to.

Miles swivelled in his chair to set eyes on his doppelganger, Ivo barely seeming to pay attention to anything outside his immediate duties. The sight was bizarre, Tails thought - this was him, locked in his work, outside concerns set aside.

"Come on, dude!" Miles said, absently reaching out with a tail to retrieve a silver beaker filled with nutritional supplement - described to him as 'pudding' by a helpful twin-tailed serf - while he tapped at his computer, "don't you have anything to say about this whole crazy situation? We're literally cloning ourselves, to send them back in time, to create a whole civilisation of twin-tailed foxes!"

"Uh-huh..." Ivo muttered, one ear flickering in Tails' direction, "not how I figured this trip would turn out..."

Miles simply stared, then shook his head at Ivo's nonchalant response. "I don't get you man," the fox sad, turning and working through the sophisticated computer systems, creating the 'coding' that would go into the minds of the clones, "this is literally the craziest thing that could have happened, and you don't give a crap. You're a scientist! Isn't this even a little bit interesting to you?"

Miles' ears twitched as a long sigh reached them from behind, and he turned again to find Ivo, eyes closed, clutching his datapad limply. The other fox's lids creaked open to reveal tired eyes, and Miles thought he caught a glimpse of the person 'Eggs' really was inside. But this person didn't appear evil, or malicious. Merely resigned, to whatever fate his present circumstances offered him.

"Yes, it's very interesting..." Ivo said blankly, returning his attention to monitoring the growing clones, deep in the scientific guts of wherever they had found themselves, "real fascinating stuff." The vulpine mobian looked back to Tails, ears drooping slightly. "Look Tails... I'm tired. I'm tired of all the crazy stuff that's happened to me since... well..." he gestured to himself with one hand and both tails, offering a dejected shrug as he did so. "So I just want to get this stupid adventure over with and go home. Take it from me, Miles... trying to change things just screws you over. Sometimes its best... just to deal with what's given to you..."

Tails watched as his companion looked away, resigned expression pasted over his face. He sighed, made a quick check of his own work, and then hopped from the chair and crossed the silver metal floor toward the cloning vats. He came to a stop beside his twin, who made no acknowledgement of his presence.

"What did you mean," Tails said, scanning the unreadable face of Ivo Robotnik, "when you said... you're not Eggman?"

The twitch of an ear was his immediate response, Ivo chewing his lip before he looked over and shrugged. "You're not the only one who's been questioning his existence, Miles... but at least you got your answers."

Tails opened his mouth, a response formulating in his brain... but he decided not to pursue the subject. Clearly, this was not something that Eggs was in the mood to discuss.

"Yeah..." he said, "I guess I did..." Tails cast a look over the glowing green vats, the immobile forms within almost resembling he and Ivo identically. He pondered the workings of the advanced machinery before him, wondered why this craziness was happening... and decided to simply take Ivo's advice and roll with it. After all, if anything good were to come of this adventure, at least the two foxes were getting on now.

"You think Sparky's right?" he said, glancing at his double, "about us working together? Creating stuff?"

Ivo cocked his head. "Why not? Eggman's plans for world domination are pretty much on hold... permanently. And imagine the things you could accomplish with two of you around."

Tails smirked. "Well, you were pretty useful when you were I-V0..."

The other fox grimaced. "We don't talk about that!"

Miles simply chuckled, and turned to head back to his work. They had a civilisation to create, after all.

...

It was morning, on Bygone Island. Deep in the steaming, humid jungles, curled beneath the thick trunk of a tree, two fluffy yellow forms snuggled together, ears twitching in their sleep.

Slowly, as the sunlight further penetrated the canopy high above, the two figures stirred. Two identical yellow foxes unfurled from identical sets of twin tails. As they woke, they slowly began jostling and playing with one another, like feral cubs, before eventually heading on their way to find food... and ultimately found a city.

"There they go..." Tails muttered, keeping low in the undergrowth as he watched his two copies vanish into the jungle, "off to start a whole new civilisation..."

Ivo hummed in agreement. "Yeah... and in a year or so, I'll find them... Sparky will follow me home, later on we'll go on our adventure, and it'll all happen again..." the fox grimaced and wiped his brow with the back of a hand.

"Time travel..." Tails smirked, "real screwy huh?"

Ivo huffed. "Like you wouldn't believe," he said flatly. Tails frowned at his tone, again detecting some meaning behind the words, but decided not to pursue. Besides, Ivo had stood and began to wander away anyway. He hopped to his feet and padded off in pursuit.

The two foxes made their way through the jungle, neither exchanging a word, two identical pairs of scuffed red and white sneakers trudging through the undergrowth. They walked for some minutes, in silence, before reaching a very familiar clearing... occupied by a very familiar golden figure.

"It's done, Sparkz..." Ivo said flatly, looking up at the patiently waiting synthetic, "they're off... it's done."

Sparky, the future empress of an entire race of twin-tailed foxes, smiled at her smaller brethren. "Thank you, boys. The future is now set. Through your actions, your children will prosper."

"Yeah yeah..." Tails waved a hand, himself having had his fill of strange time shenanigans for one millennium, "does that mean we get to go home now?"

Sparky nodded sagely. "My past self is waiting for you where you were intercepted. I shall return to my time... and you yours."

"So... this is it?" Ivo said, looking up at the golden vulpinroid, "this is goodbye?"

Sparky chuckled softly. "You'll see me again!" she said, "very shortly, in fact." Sparky, Empress from the future, reached down and gently laid her steel hands upon the two shorter foxes shoulders. "Well, brothers..." she said, softly glowing optics flicking between them, "time to go home..."

"Sparky?" Ivo said quietly, as purple energy began to fizzle and spark around them ripped from the ether to throw them through space and time, "we got what Tails came for... but... what about me? Do I ever find my answers?"

Sparky looked at him sadly, eyes glowing purple with the rapidly building energy surrounding her carapace, "I don't know, Ivo. You never told me..." she said, offering him a wan smile. "I suppose this is something you were always meant to find out on your own."

Ivo opened his mouth to respond... but let it slide away, and merely nodded his head instead. "See you soon, Sparkz..." he said, reaching up to his shoulder and lightly squeezing the warm metal hand resting their.

Sparky didn't have time to reply. The last thing Ivo saw before he was transported back through reality was the warm smile on her artificial face, before the purple energy flashed to white, and he was for a moment no more.

...

"Sparky? Wake up!"

Sparky's audio receptors crackled. She detected motion around her, the sensation of hands fiddling around inside her open rear canopy, the heavy feeling of her mechanical body laying sill and inert. Then her optics fluttered into action, information flickering across her inbuilt heads-up-display. Diagnostics ran inside the unconscious segments of her mind. She attempted to calculate exactly why everything was still dark when her optics appeared to be functioning adequately.

"Sparkz? You okay?"

With that, Sparky stirred. Her mechanised limbs hummed softly as she righted herself from her position, face-down in the dirt, into a sitting position to find Ivo and Miles shuffling away, each twin identical to the other. She calculated for logged discrepancies - Ivo was slightly wider around the stomach, the edges of Miles' muzzle fur were slightly raggier - and attempted to process exactly what had happened to her.

"DOCTOR EGGS?" Sparky's synthesized vocals crackled, and her optics flickered between the pair of twin foxes as her diagnostics sluggishly continued to run, "WHAT HAPPENED?"

The vulpines glanced to one another, each kneeling in the dirt before their synthetic companion. "It's okay Sparky..." one fox, whom Sparky determined was most likely Ivo, said, "you had a... malfunction. It knocked you out for a little while... right, Tails?"

"Uh-huh!" the other fox adjusted his goggles and grinned. "Lucky for you, you had the smartest pair of foxes on the planet to fix you up! Right... Eggs?"

Ivo appeared uncertain for some moments, before offering a shrug and a smirk. "Right..." he said, ears lowering and raising again as unknown thoughts ran through his head. The fox hopped to his feet, red and white sneakers scuffing in the dirt, brushing his tails off as he looked down to Sparky. "Anyway... you're all better now..." He reached out a hand. "Come on... sis. Let's get you up."

Sparky did as she was instructed, pondering the vulpine's wording as she allowed herself to be hauled back to her feet. Miles joined them, and Sparky twitched slightly as her muddled systems continued to realign. Her neck motors whirred, optics swivelling behind their visor as she regarded the two dirt-encrusted foxes. "DID WE... FIND THE CITY?" She said, drunkenly attempting to access her fogged memory banks.

Miles and Ivo exchanged an uncertain glance, before shaking their heads almost simultaneously. "Sorry Sparkz..." Tails said, tucking his thumbs into his utility belt, "looks like we're gonna have to take a reign check on that trip..."

Sparky cocked her head quizzically, one metallic ear flickering intently. "BUT WHAT ABOUT YOUR ANSWERS? I THOUGHT YOU WANTED TO KNOW... SOMETHING?"

Miles shrugged. "That can wait..." he said, seemingly smiling to himself before winking and adjusting his goggles. "Besides, it's more important we get you back home. Give you a proper check-over. Right Eggs?"

Ivo raised his ears and considered for a moment, before chuckling softly to himself and patting Sparky on the shoulder. "Yeah... we were worried about you sis... I think it's best we bring you home, and you get some nice rest."

"OH... OKAY..." Sparky sluggishly allowed herself to be led away, both of her companions supporting her befuddled frame, "DOES THIS MEAN..." she said, optics flicking up to one of the foxes, "I DON'T GET TO SEE MY BROTHERS?"

Ivo and Miles glanced to one another, exchanging uncertain expressions. "Don't worry about that, Sparkz..." Ivo said, "you'll see them again..."

"OH... OKAY..."

With that, the dazed cyborg allowed herself to be steered away by her organic counterparts, now heading home after their unexpected adventure.

...

Sonic leaned back in his deck chair, sipping at an ice cold can of soda and sighing contentedly. The sun was going down,, casting long shadows across the beach, he had a plate full of chilidogs beside him... the perfect end to another laid-back day on Bygone Island.

"Telling you, Ames!" the hedgehog adjusted his sunglasses and gestured with his soda to the occupant of the other lounger beside him, "this is the life!"

Amy, who had elected to spend the entire day baking in the sun like a roast potato, merely hummed non-committedly. Sonic shifted in his chair, raising his shades and frowning. "You okay there Ames? We're supposed to be having a fun weekend while Tails is away! What's with the long face?"

Amy hummed again, shuffling to face Sonic and glaring pointedly from behind her sunglasses. "Nothing... just worrying about the guys, you know? Going off Chaos knows where, no telling us why..."

"Pssh..." Sonic waved a hand nonchalantly and set his hands behind his head as he leaned back to enjoy the last of the sun, "They'll be fine... Tails knows what he's doing, and Eggs? Well..." he paused before offering a smirk. "Well, Tails knows what he's doing!"

"Yeah well..." Amy said, leaning onto her side, "I still worry, you know?"

Sonic sighed, looking back to his companion. "I know... I worry too! Tails is my lil' bro! But he's growing up Ames... I gotta let him off the leash sometime, y'know? I can't smother the kid forever..."

Amy chuckled, a wry smile working its way onto her face. "You have a soft spot really, don't you Sonic Hedgehog?"

Sonic shrugged and wore a mischievous grin. "Well..." he said, "maybe... but only sometimes! Gotta stay way past cool and all that!" Sonic leaned his head back and reached out, fumbling for a chilidog. "Still... I wonder what the little guys are up to..."

Amy's ears twitched as a low rumbling droned across the clouds, slowly becoming louder. She grinned. "Well..." she said, raising into a sitting position as a familiar yellow monoplane emerged from the clouds, "why not ask them yourself?"

The two hedgehogs left their recliners and watched as the yellow place descended from above, kicking dust from the dirt runway as it landed and slowed. The aircraft's engines became a low drone as she taxied down the runway, passing by Amy and Sonic before trundling slowly into the workshop's hangar.

"Hey! The intrepid explorers are back!" Sonic chortled, spreading his arms wide and grinning as a pair of scruffy yellow foxes hopped from the ticking plane, "pee-ew! You two stink!"

Neither of the foxes appeared amused, merely glowering in Sonic's direction as they stretched off their tired limbs.

"Hey..." Amy said, scanning he workshop before any of the boys could proceed, "where's Sparky?"

"Sparky had to go back to the lab..." one of the foxes said, fussing with his ruffled and dirt-encrusted fur, "there were a few... complications, so she's headed back for recharge and maintenance."

"So..." Sonic said as one fox left the plane and wandered past him "how'd it go Tails? You find what you were looking for?"

The fox turned and frowned at Sonic. "What makes you think I'm Tails?"

Sonic paused, looking the twin-tailed fox over. "Sorry Eggs..." he said, turning to the plane where the other fox was busy unloading tools, "Tails! How'd the trip go,, lil' buddy?"

This fox looked at him... and frowned in apparent confusion as well. "What makes you think I'M Tails?"

Sonic's words caught in his throat, as he glanced between both vulpines. Neither gave any indication of identity away, wearing identical expressions and waiting expectantly.

Sonic's ears flattened. "Guys? This isn't funny."

"Oh, I don't know..." Fox 1 smirked and looked to his companion, folding his arms and shrugging, "I think it's kinda funny... how 'bout you?"

"What, screwing with Sonic's head?" Fox 2 wore the same amused grin and pushed past the blue hedgehog, clutching his box of tools, "I think it's hysterical!"

"So... what d'you wanna work on first?"

"Hmm... I think the Tornado could use a little post-flight tune up..."

"True, make sure she wasn't affected by the disturbances out there..."

"...but I do have plans for a new artificial intelligence system to monitor my security systems!"

"Ooh, can I help with the coding?"

Sonic simply watched the two twin-tailed vulpines chatter to themselves as they left the hangar, discussing all kinds of technobabble he hadn't a hope of understanding, incapable of telling them apart. Mouth slightly agape he looked to Amy beside him, who seemed highly entertained at the engagement. "Uh... Ames? Since when were those two best friends?"

Amy simply chuckled, and began to lead her blue companion away by the arm. "Come on, hedgehog..." she said happily, "we'd better make sure they don't get into mischief..."

Sonic and Amy trailed after their twin-tailed comrades, the Tornado ticking behind them as they left the hangar. While it would remain unknown to all but the two foxes what exactly had occurred deep in the jungles of the island continent they called home, it seemed their uncertain relationship had eased. At least for now.


End file.
